Thank you very much, Speaker. I appreciate that.

As I was saying, it’s essential that corporations understand the importance of workplace safety and take the necessary step to protect employees. With this new legislation, we are sending a strong message that we will not tolerate corporations that put their workers’ safety at risk.

Furthermore, we recognize the importance of protecting workers during times of mass terminations, especially in the age of remote work. That’s why we are proposing changes to protect workers during mass terminations and, on the other hand, expand the reasons reservists can take military leave.

We are also proposing amendments to require women’s-only washrooms on construction sites and to expand cancer coverage for firefighters. These changes reflect our government’s commitment to ensuring that all workers are protected at their workplace regardless of their situation or job.

The Working for Workers Act, 2023, builds on the groundbreaking actions we took in the previous legislation, in 2021 and 2022. These previous pieces of legislation have already provided important protections for Ontario workers, and we are proud to continue building on that. We believe that Ontario should be a province where hard work pays off and big dreams can come true, and we will continue to use every tool in our tool box to ensure that that’s the case.

The Working for Workers Act, 2023, represents a significant step forward in protecting Ontario workers. By establishing the highest maximum fines in Canada for those who exploit vulnerable workers, by increasing the maximum fine for corporations convicted of OHSA offences and proposing important changes to protecting workers during mass terminations as well as expanding cancer coverage for firefighters, we are ensuring every worker in Ontario is supported and protected. Our government is committed to building a province where everyone can work safely, thrive and succeed.

It’s an honour to speak on a matter of great importance to the people of Ontario and my riding of Oakville. As many of us know, our province is currently facing an historic labour shortage, with over 300,000 jobs going unfilled across the province, costing us billions of dollars in lost productivity. The issue has become more pressing as our province’s population continues to grow, and we need to train more skilled workers to fill in-demand jobs. However, I’m pleased to inform the House that our government is taking proactive steps to tackle this challenge and help more people enter rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

We are investing $224 million in a new capital stream of the Skills Development Fund to support innovative training projects focused on building and modernizing the infrastructure Ontario needs to train workers to fill in-demand jobs and lead purpose-driven careers. This investment is part of our broader commitment to support the growth and development of the skilled trades in our province. The new SDF capital stream, launching in late spring, 2023, will help eligible training providers, including unions, to renovate, retrofit, repair and expand existing training centres or help them construct new training facilities. This initiative will complement the existing Skills Development Fund that launched in 2021, which has already helped launch 388 projects, assisting almost 400,000 people across the province in taking the next step in their career.

Furthermore, to address the immediate needs of the labour market, our government is investing an additional $75 million over the next three years to support the operations and programming at new and existing centres to prepare workers for in-demand careers such as electricians, welders and mechanics.

As we build Ontario, we are providing more women and men with opportunities to begin or advance their careers in the skilled trades. We are working hand in hand with labour unions, with business groups, colleges and universities to train the skilled workforce that will build the roads, highways, houses, public transit, hospitals, infrastructure and schools that our economy and province needs. It’s all hands on deck, Speaker.

Applications for the new SDF capital stream are expected to open in late spring, providing eligible applicants, including unions, Indigenous centres, businesses and industry associations, with funding to build the new training centres or to upgrade or convert their existing facilities into training centres with state-of-the-art design and technology. This includes facility renovations, retrofits, expansions, repairs and building construction.

I am proud to inform this House that we have received support from private sector unions, employers and training providers on this particular initiative. The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 and the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario, from my riding of Oakville, commend Minister McNaughton’s commitment to advancing the skilled trades.

Skilled trade workers are at the front line of our economic recovery, with unions and businesses playing a crucial role in training our next generation of workers through apprenticeship programs. Financially supporting training institutes will help attract more people to the skilled trades, better prepare them for good-paying jobs and address market demand.

Ontario’s 2023 budget will be released today, and will detail the government’s responsible and targeted approach to support people and businesses while laying a strong foundation for future generations. Our investment in the skilled trades is just one example of how we are building a strong, resilient and prosperous province.

Speaker, our government is ready to take bold, decisive action in order to do what is best for Ontarians. That’s why the measures we are proposing first and foremost are worker-focused. After speaking with many businesses, unions and workers in my riding, I fully support this bill and want to ensure that it is passed, and I certainly hope the opposition will support us in this legislation.

Our government is proud that Ontario is a destination for many newcomers who have come to Canada in search of greater economic opportunity for themselves and their families. My community of Oakville has hosted thousands of Ukrainian newcomers, providing them with stable living and a new opportunity in their life, many of whom are highly educated, motivated and want to contribute to the success of our great province. We have welcomed them with open arms and support as a government and a country.

Newcomers create businesses in our communities, fill much-needed roles in our society and spark our entrepreneurial spirit, and they actually account now for up to 33% of Ontario’s labour force. In 2016, only one quarter of internationally trained immigrants in regulated professions were working in a job that matched their level of qualification. And most recently, about 300,000 jobs were going unfilled across the province, costing billions in lost output. This is an issue when international professionals, scientists and engineers and workers, come and are invited to our country to share their expertise and contribute to our economy, and it’s unfortunate they’re trapped in jobs that do not utilize their skill and talent.

I have met with constituents that have 20 years experience in the engineering industry, with experience in teaching, in research. These people are internationally skilled and want to make our country a better country—safer, renewably sustainable—and they’ve been cut from that opportunity because of red tape. To create a clear path for them and to fully apply their skills, the Ontario government intends to propose changes that would, if passed, help remove barriers for those newcomers to get licensed and find jobs that match their qualifications and skills. That will be good for the workers, for the newcomers, for industry and for our province as a whole. Removing these barriers will help more newcomers find jobs and boost our economy so they can support their families.

Reducing immigrant unemployment and helping them find good jobs could actually increase Ontario’s GDP by $12 billion to $20 billion in each of the next five years. That will help us have the money to be able to fund the infrastructure that we so sorely need in this province, whether it’s hospitals, highways, public transit. Our changes, if passed, would build on the work the province is already doing to help skilled, internationally trained immigrants find work in their field of expertise.

The Ontario government is investing $68 million to help internationally trained immigrants access programs designed to bridge their experience with the needs of employers in their community. This would impact 23 trades and 14 professions such as lawyers, engineers, architects, plumbers, electricians, accountants, hair stylists, teachers and early childhood educators: an extremely diverse group of individuals.

I want to emphasize that the investment in the skilled trades is absolutely critical to the well-being of our province. It will create more opportunities for Ontarians to receive training and find rewarding careers while also supporting the growth of our economy. There is no doubt with the largest investment in Ontario’s history in infrastructure, including the largest public transit investment in the history of Ontario, building new roads and highways across the province so businesses can get goods to their markets quicker, so families can see their family members after a day of work quicker, spend less time driving their kids to soccer practice or hockey practice—these are all essential to make the lives of Ontarians better, to give quality time back to families, to give quality time back to businesses, making our province more efficient and allowing better-quality family time.

But with that, we need skilled workers. It’s a problem we have in this province. It’s a good problem, but it’s a problem. We need the opposition’s support to be part of team Ontario, to say, “Yes, we’re going to bring people into this province. We’re going to match their qualifications with the skills and qualifications that they have learned from other countries. We’re going to work with our partners in the private sector, with labour unions, with training providers to address this once-in-a-generation labour shortage and build a brighter future for all Ontarians.”

I am very confident that our government is improving the conditions, setting the right environment to lead this country back in economic growth, and at the same time, protecting workers and attracting new people to the province of Ontario to have a better life.

Please continue the debate, Speaker.

I apologize to the member for Oakville. However, pursuant to standing order 50(c), I am now required to interrupt the proceedings and announce that there have been six and a half hours of debate on the motion for second reading of this bill. This debate will therefore be deemed adjourned unless the government House leader directs the debate to continue.

I recognize the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Thank you to the member opposite. I should point out that with the difficult situation we’ve been through with COVID, which was obviously a worldwide pandemic, Ontario actually led the way in Canada and was the first to legislate COVID-19 paid sick days. That’s a fact. I don’t think that’s debatable. We were the first province here to do that. Our COVID-19 Putting Workers First Act—which, I will add, passed unanimously—gave workers flexible paid sick days, no sick notes needed. And we were also the first to introduce unlimited job-protected leave so that nobody had to choose between a job and their health.

But having said that, our government is committed to workers. We’re committed to a strong economy. We have one of the fastest-growing economies in North America. We are a government that’s committed to workers, and the best thing we can do for a worker is give them a job. We are short labour in the province right now because we’ve helped create that environment that’s attracting investments back into the province of Ontario. After 10, 15 years of a very dark time when manufacturing literally fled, it is coming back to the province. I can tell you, in my own riding, we have Ford of Canada that’s going to be staying here for decades to come. They were on the verge of leaving and going to Mexico. And we, of course, had the big announcement last week with Volkswagen near London, Ontario. These are huge investments in the province and a commitment that people are showing in our province—

It’s now time for questions.

I appreciate the presentation from the member from Oakville. There’s a lot that speaks to me in this bill, having worked in various construction industrial sites. And the one that will come back to haunt me, thanks to Google, is the matter of construction—personal protective equipment. There’s only a limited number of sizes for vests, for hard hats, for work boots, and sometimes it just doesn’t seem right. You’re not getting the best-fitting equipment. I’m wondering if you could elaborate a bit on the proposed PPE changes that are present that help keep women and men with diverse body types, certainly like mine, safe on work sites.

I, too, would love to be able to talk about presumptive legislation for firefighters, but it’s not in the bill. I, too, would love to talk about women needing to be supported with things as small as having a washroom on their work site when they work in a construction site, but it’s not in the bill.

But I also want the government to really think about homemakers. They are not in this bill. They are not covered by the labour laws. This is such a small step. Homemakers are hired by all sorts of for-profit home care agencies who know full well that they are not covered by the labour laws, so they abuse these women day in and day out. Bring them under the labour laws. We have a labour bill right here, right now. How hard would it be to say that homemakers will be covered by the labour laws?

Speaker, I’m relatively new to this House and I will admit that I’m oftentimes perplexed by some of the presentations made in the House. A little while ago, we heard the member from Niagara Falls speaking about the things that are not in this bill. And in that, I always thought that as we presented speeches here, we were supposed to speak to the items that are in the bill. So I really appreciate the member from Oakville for speaking to the items that are in the bill.

But I would like to ask the member from Oakville, if I could, what else has this government done to provide services and support to the workers here in Ontario?

Thank you to the member from Windsor. You are absolutely correct that, traditionally, a lot of these construction and even skilled trades have been male-dominated. That’s changing, but in order to encourage more trades, we need to reach out to people. We need to reach out to women. We need to reach out to people who come in different shapes and sizes. You’re absolutely correct: Not all PPE, not all construction helmets, fit certain people, so I think by broadening what we are doing, it will allow more people to come into the trades.

We’ve certainly had great feedback. I can tell you that Victoria Mancinelli from LIUNA is absolutely thrilled that we’re also bringing women’s washrooms to large construction sites. About 10% of construction workers today are women. We need to ensure that they have a safe environment where a simple thing—I know it sounds simple—like just going to the bathroom in a safe environment makes them feel more comfortable.

I will, however, also congratulate the Ford Motor Co. of Canada and Ford North America. I will also congratulate Premier Ford and Minister Vic Fedeli for the great work they did in ensuring that not only is Ford staying here, but we’ve got new plants being built in Windsor and St. Thomas. We are attracting more auto investments than you can imagine. It’s team Ontario. It’s a team effort.

I would like to ask a question to the member from Oakville, because he did raise the Oakville plant—which isn’t in the bill, by the way—and just did it again. But let’s be clear on what happened in the auto industry: The auto industry, including the Oakville Ford plant, was saved by that bargaining committee. It was the bargaining committee that went to the bargaining table.

It was Premier Ford, very clearly, who said that ship had sailed in Oshawa. Very clearly, he said that. Also, when they laid off 1,000 workers in the Windsor plant under Local 444 and the president tried to call, they wouldn’t return his call for a year.

I want to be clear to everybody in this room: It was Unifor and that bargaining committee and those incredible workers, who produce some of the best products in the industrialized world—as a matter of fact, I think the Canadian auto worker is the best in the world—and who saved those plants.

My question to you is: Can you just say thank you to the unionized auto workers on the bargaining team?

It is a pleasure to rise today on behalf of the people I represent in London West to participate in the debate on Bill 79, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to employment and labour and other matters. We’ve heard from the government that this is their third iteration of their efforts to work for workers, and I can tell you that workers in this province view the government’s working for workers efforts as falling far short of what workers actually need. It has been interesting throughout this debate to observe this disconnect between what is actually in this bill, Bill 79, and what the government is talking about when they refer to this bill.

This bill has seven schedules. It amends a number of different pieces of legislation that already are in place. Schedule 1 deals with the Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act. This schedule increases the fines for employers who employ foreign nationals and take away their passports or work permit. Speaker, that is something that is desperately needed. We know that migrant workers, foreign national workers, are very vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by employers. They’re very vulnerable. We saw during the pandemic how vulnerable they were to COVID because of the working conditions they were facing.

Now what is not in this bill—while it talks about the increased fines, there are no details as to how enforcement is going to take place. How are we going to hold these employers accountable?

There’s no details about whether there are going to be proactive inspections of workplaces that employ foreign nationals. There’s no details about whether the ministry simply intends to create a new helpline for foreign nationals to call if they have been exploited by their employers. There’s no details about how migrant workers will find out their new protections with these increased fines. There’s no details about whether information will be available in multiple languages for migrant workers, and we know they come from many different countries around the world. There’s no details about the protections that would be available for foreign nationals, for migrant workers from reprisal if they report an employer. So those are the kinds of details that are missing from schedule 1.

But the most glaring omissions from this act—the details that we see nowhere in the legislation before us—are the things that the government is highlighting from this bill.

Schedule 5 of this bill talks about the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Again, it increases maximum fines for corporations that are convicted under the act, and yes, as in schedule 1, we need an increase in maximum fines to create effective deterrents to employers for contravening their legislative obligations to keep workers safe on the job. But what we don’t see in schedule 5 is any mention whatsoever of the addition of pancreatic and thyroid cancers as presumptive occupational illnesses for firefighters. Despite the government’s continued references to that being part of this bill, it actually does not appear in the legislation before us.

The other thing that is nowhere in this legislation is any mention of clean, gender-based bathrooms on construction work sites, which is what we have heard many times repeated by this government, that this legislation is going to make sure that women on job sites will have access to washrooms that are clean and decent. That is definitely something that is needed on job sites throughout this province. It is something that I think will help get more women into occupations that are male-dominated. It would be great to see this in this legislation, but it’s not here—it’s not here.

If this government is planning to pursue these measures through regulation, that would be important for people in this province, but the problem with regulation, of course, Speaker, is that it doesn’t have the same kind of accountability and due diligence that legislation has. There’s nothing that would have prevented this government from introducing the measures in the bill rather than through regulation. But even then we will wait to see if these regulations materialize, and we will wait to see if they actually do what this government has been talking about doing.

Schedule 2 of bill deals with the Employment Standards Act. Now this schedule does not increase fines for contravention of the Employment Standards Act, which would have been something that is desperately needed. We know that, for decades in the province, wage theft has been an ongoing and unresolved problem that workers experience in Ontario—that is employers who withhold money from workers, who don’t pay them what they are entitled to under the Employment Standards Act, who don’t pay vacation pay, who don’t even pay minimum wage sometimes. They pay them under the table to avoid the accountability that is in the legislation. Currently, what employees must do if they experience wage theft from their employer is make a complaint to the Ministry of Labour and wait for the results of an investigation. All too often, they wait months for the investigation to start. Many times, the investigation results in an order against the employer to repay those stolen wages to the employee, and that order is not enforced. In fact, we know that only one third of employers will repay the wages that are stolen from their employees in this province once they are notified that a complaint has been made. So two thirds of employees whose wages and benefits are stolen by their employer do not see the money that they are owed. This has been an ongoing problem in this province.

I want to share a couple of experiences of workers who have faced wage theft.

Helena Borody worked for three months without wages and then was fired without notice. She went to the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry of Labour slapped her former boss with a $4,800 order to pay. A year and a half later, no payment was received. Helena Borody said that going to the Ministry of Labour was a useless exercise because the Ministry of Labour did nothing to help enforce her rights and to help get that money that she was owed back from the employer.

In this Legislature, a couple of years ago, I shared some other experiences.

Isabelle Faure had an employer who was ordered to pay her $5,000 in back wages. The Ministry of Labour made that order to the employer, but nothing happened. Isabelle was unable to get those back wages paid. She said that she had no way of knowing that the Ministry of Labour would do essentially nothing to enforce its own regulations, and she has yet to receive her money.

Another employee in this province, Juan Jose Lira Cervantes, was owed more than $25,000 in lost wages and benefits. He went to the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry of Labour made an order against his employer, Domino’s Pizza, and the bill has never been paid. He has not been able to collect on those lost wages and benefits that were withheld by his employer. That is because of gaping loopholes in the Employment Standards Act that allow employers to get away with wage theft on a regular basis in Ontario. It’s because of inadequate fines in the Employment Standards Act to make sure that there is an effective deterrent for employers to steal the wages of their employees—

Further questions?

Twenty years ago, I arrived in Toronto with my family, like so many immigrants before us, searching for a better life. We started to rebuild our lives, and the city services were there to help us along the way. I used to spend hours at the Parkdale library, working on my university applications. As a young woman, I felt safe on public transit, exploring all that the city had to offer. I fell in love with Toronto. It was a place full of optimism, potential and promise.

Over the years, I’ve seen the city’s spark slowly fade away. The decline is hard to ignore. We have big issues to tackle, like affordable housing, reliable transit, the climate emergency and a new deal on city finances. But the city must also be able to deliver basic services properly. Right now, walk out the door and there’s garbage everywhere, overflowing and broken bins. Winter comes every year, and we still haven’t figured out proper snow clearing. Homelessness has spiked, with more and more unhoused people seeking refuge on the TTC because there isn’t space in the shelter. There are potholes on every street. The limited recreation programs for kids are getting even fewer. Basic things aren’t being delivered properly.

We’ve all been worn down by the last 12 years. It’s time to turn the corner. We cannot be a world-class city without first getting the basic things right. To my fellow Torontonians: A mayoral by-election is upon us. We have an opportunity here. Let’s get the basics right. Let’s demand it.

I rise this morning to give this House good news: Troublemaker Radio is back. What is Troublemaker Radio? Troublemaker Radio is a podcast we started up in our MPP office to lift up and spotlight the hard work of community organizers who sometimes have to ruffle a few feathers to get some things done. It is inspired by the great American politician Representative John Lewis, who once said, “Do not get lost in the sea of despair. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month or a year; it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

President Biden is in our country. I wish him well, and I wish him all the best in his meetings with the Prime Minister. But when I think about the great legacy of our friends and neighbours in the United States, I think of John Lewis, who we lost in 2020.

And I’m excited to tell this House that our first episode of Troublemaker Radio that we’re going to be bringing back is going to feature someone who is going to make a lot of great trouble in this place, Sarah Jama, someone who is going to roll into this place next Monday and is going to give us the kind of spirit from the great city of Hamilton we so desperately need in this place, give us that optimism, give us that courage to fight for social justice.

I am so glad to feature a conversation with Sarah Jama on Troublemaker Radio. I invite all members of the House to tune in, because we have a lot to learn from her, and we have a lot to learn from each other. If you have ideas on what we should put on the podcast, shoot me an email. We can’t wait to talk to you.

It’s an honour to rise in the Legislature today. Before I get into my member’s statement, I would like to wish all those people celebrating the beginning of Ramadan a Ramadan Mubarak.

We have taken concrete action to support workers in this province. We’ve had recent legislation that has increased the fines for employers who do not comply with health and safety laws. We’ve established foundational rights and protections for digital platform workers such as rideshare and delivery workers. We are also addressing Ontario’s historic labour shortage by allowing out-of-province workers to register in their profession or trade within 30 days, helping them find good jobs faster.

Our government is committed to continuing this work and improving the employment experience for all workers. Just on Tuesday this week, our government announced it is tackling the province’s labour shortage and getting more people into rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

In my town of Oakville, we are proud to be home to two great labour organizations, the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, led by Mike Gallagher, and we’re also fortunate to have the Labourers’ International Union of North America, also known as LIUNA, led by Joseph Mancinelli, who is the international vice-president and regional manager of central and eastern Canada. I want to take this time to acknowledge and thank them for their critical role in building Ontario’s infrastructure. We’re proud to have you based in Oakville.

To all the workers here in Ontario, thank you for contributing to the work of Ontario.

Thunder Bay has a strong hockey community with no fewer than seven players currently in the NHL coming from our great city and region. In fact, Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario have produced the highest number of NHL players per capita than any other city. But, today, I’d like to speak to you about the Lakehead University Thunderwolves hockey team. The Thunderwolves had an outstanding season this year, capturing their first OUA West Division crown since 2008. This was a major achievement for the team, and they should be commended for their hard work and dedication.

It’s important to recognize the individual achievements of the team as well. Head coach, Andrew Wilkins, was named OUA West Coach of the Year, while defenseman Josh Van Unen was awarded OUA West Rookie of the Year. Defenseman Troy Williams was also recognized for his contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion within the team. In addition, forward Spencer Blackwell earned an OUA West Division First-Team All-Star team nod, and defenseman Kyle Auger received an OUA West Division Second-Team All-Star team nod. As well, Josh Van Unen and goaltender Christian Cicigoi were named to the OUA West Division all-rookie team.

In conclusion, the Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey team had a fantastic season, and their achievements are a testament to their hard work and dedication. I congratulate them on their success, and I will look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future.

I apologize to the member. We are out of time for debate.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Speaker, everyone in London recognizes the homelessness crisis, and understands the dire need to ensure unhoused, marginalized Londoners have supports to rebuild their lives and finally be safe. More than 200 people have died on London’s streets in the past three years. No one among us should be able to turn and look away from human suffering and preventable tragedy.

In response to this mounting crisis, London city council engaged a broad spectrum of Londoners in their Health and Homelessness Summits. They created a collaborative plan known as the Health and Homelessness Whole of Community System Response, which will create 24/7 community hubs with on-site care, as well as build the desperately needed 100 supportive housing units this year and 600 in total.

London leaders have stepped up. After an historic $25 million gift by an anonymous London family, millions more have been donated by London’s amazing business and community leaders who have rallied to join the fight. The Health and Homelessness Fund for Change, fundforchange.ca, is administered by the London Community Foundation. The need is there. Community support is there and engagement is there.

London is a leader, Speaker, but we can’t do it alone. The province now has a chance to stand with London and support this noble and worthy cause. I echo the calls of community leaders, experts, local organizations and city council. I encourage the province to provide emergency homelessness funding to London in the 2023 budget.

Local politics in Windsor-Essex was turned on its head this month. The revelation, you ask? The new Lego Windsor and Essex Politics page on Instagram. Riley Richard, the page’s creator, depicts local political leaders from across our region in all of their four-centimetre yellow mini-figure glory.

Riley’s mission: to reverse declining voter engagement through creativity and positivity in politics.

Riley’s many human skills shine through in his work—his graphic design, his knowledge of history and his knack for noticing detail, right down to our hair. If our Legislature is destined to have young Ontarians like Riley sitting here in these very seats in the future, we can truly be optimistic for a bright number of years ahead. I encourage all Ontarians to visit @legowindsorpoli on Instagram to see Riley’s handiwork in action.

Riley, on behalf of all of us here at the Ontario Legislature, thank you so, so much for being part of the solution.