When we’re looking at this bill, we’re looking at the things I mentioned that are the comparatively small and niggling issues that make people bang their heads against the wall. The issues that you are raising are obviously things we all care about, but they’re not what we are talking about today.

What we’re talking about is—I’m almost tired of hearing the words—red tape. It’s bureaucracy. It’s layers upon layers of regulation. So I think that it’s unfair to assess this particular bill against bills that have a much grander scope. This is about red tape. And housecleaning is not something to dismiss as unimportant, as it has a significant impact on Ontario businesses and families.

My point would be the same: We are talking about a red tape bill. It’s not just housecleaning; it’s an essential part of government business. It may not be particularly exciting, and it may not make for the best headlines, but this is material that is incredibly important for Ontario. It shows that we are taking our duties to Ontario very seriously and that we are listening.

When we’re talking about larger issues—they’re valid issues, but they’re not the purpose of what we are discussing here.

Again, I would say that it’s not just housecleaning, it’s not just housekeeping. Those things are actually very important—or we would be living in quite a disaster. That’s what we’re here to do—to clean house.

Yes, it’s definitely something I’m passionate about.

You’re correct; it has been in place for a very long time, since 1989, when I was two. So it’s really time to look at it. What’s important to understand is that this is a call to veterinary professionals to give their opinion on a—there is no sort of specification about what, in particular, they must give input on. What we’re looking at is streamlining it, making sure there’s a reduction of compliance burden for our already overworked veterinarians, vet techs and vet clinics. We’re also looking at how we deal with complaints, quality assurances, that type of thing. But ultimately, the overarching goal is improving access to care for animal owners. This isn’t something that’s like a top-down imposition of change; it is a request from that community—to say, “What do you need changed? Come tell us.”

Per diem judges, bringing them in—part of access to justice is access to swift justice, to actually getting your case resolved. That’s incredibly important.

I’d also comment again about the POA matter. Convictions in absentia were a huge issue as far as access to justice because of people not having representation, not understanding the process. By allowing clerks of the court to vacate convictions, it means that provincial prosecutors are able to deal directly with individuals and basically cut through all of the red tape that would prevent us from reopening their cases and dealing fairly with their matters.