SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Ontario Assembly

43rd Parl. 1st Sess.
November 30, 2022 09:00AM
  • Nov/30/22 10:50:00 a.m.

While I have a great deal of respect for the Auditor General, on this, I cannot agree with her. The numbers show that we have done an incredible job protecting our most vulnerable, through a vaccine rollout that is second to only Japan across the world.

The member speaks about things that we can look at and point to as successes—GO-VAXX buses that were going into communities that had lower vaccine uptake; Operation Remote Immunity, where we partnered with Ornge air ambulance to make sure, at the very beginning of the pandemic, when we had limited supplies of vaccines—that they were going in with our partners at Ornge to vaccinate remote and fly-in communities; other opportunities that, frankly, other provinces looked at and wanted to emulate, because Ontario was leading in ensuring that our most vulnerable, that our individuals who were at highest risk, were getting access to those vaccines as quickly as possible.

We have led the world, because we ensured that we had mass vaccination clinics; we had clinics in businesses, in manufacturing facilities. We had GO-VAXX buses going around to higher-risk neighbourhoods to make sure that they understood the value and had those conversations. We had SickKids hospital open up a phone line to talk to parents and caregivers about the questions that they had when we had vaccines available to children.

I will not apologize for our vaccine rollout. We have a lot to be proud of, and the numbers prove that out.

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  • Nov/30/22 11:30:00 a.m.

From the very beginning, our Premier had a focus on mental health and addictions, which is why, of course, we have our first minister of mental health and addictions here in the province of Ontario, under a Progressive Conservative government.

We understand that there are partnerships that exist within communities that need to be fostered, and part of those commitments is ensuring that the responsibilities of the municipality and of the health care system federally are working together to make sure all of these innovative proposals are appropriately funded.

I would love to look in more detail at the program or idea that the member opposite is interested in sharing, and I’m happy to follow up with him after question period.

The member opposite needs to look himself in the mirror and ask why he didn’t support that $5-billion increase in August.

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  • Nov/30/22 11:40:00 a.m.

Our plan is our Plan to Stay Open.

Our plan is to build two new medical schools in the province of Ontario, in Brampton, in Scarborough, the first new medical schools, frankly, that have happened since—wait for it—a previous Conservative government.

Our plan has been to work with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to ensure that, as internationally educated graduates, medical practitioners have the opportunity to get their education reviewed, assessed and ultimately approved if they qualify. We are making the changes to make sure that individuals who want to practise medicine in the province of Ontario can continue to do so.

I will never suggest that what the member opposite is saying is appropriate.

But I will say, our family physicians have stepped up consistently to assist in the vaccine rollout and protect the people of Ontario.

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