Like everyone else, I’d like to welcome members of the Ontario Medical Association here, but particularly my friend and constituent Dr. Audrey Karlinsky.

Like other MPPs, I’d like to welcome the OMA to Queen’s Park, in particular: Dr. Ganesh Ram, Dr. Andrew Park, Dr. Sunit Nanda; Dr. Sean Peterson, from the London area; and Dr. Cathy Faulds and Dr. Sharad Rai, who I know are London West constituents.

I just want to introduce a good friend and a past president of the OMA who is here with us today—a great golfer as well, as I just found out: Adam Kassam, welcome. Thank you.

I’m pleased to say that we have with us in the Speaker’s gallery today a very special guest, Ms. Susan Crystal, who is the consul general of the United States of America, based here in Toronto. She is accompanied by Michael Benton, Claudia Valladolid, Paul Hur and Katherine Zhang from the US Consulate General.

Please join me in warmly welcoming our guests.

I’d like to welcome the Ontario Medical Association, who is with us today. We have Marla DiCandia and Lou Vedovat, and doctors from my riding: Dr. Luay Ali Al-Kazely, Dr. Karen Trollope-Kumar, Dr. Teresa Chan, Dr. Ross Male and Dr. Raymond Harb. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I want to introduce one of the doctors from my area of Algoma–Manitoulin, from the place so nice they named it twice, in Wawa. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Dr. Switzer.

I’d like to welcome from the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Aly Abdulla, and, my own Ottawa medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, as well as several other doctors from the Ottawa area who have joined us here today.

That concludes our introduction of visitors.

The government House leader has informed me that he has a point of order he wishes to raise.

Agreed? I heard a no.

Interjection.

The final supplementary.

The Minister of Health, to reply.

Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Withdraw, Speaker.

Ontario is expected to grow by more than two million people in the next 10 years—or in the next 15 years. As well, we know that the federal government will be expanding the number of new Canadians coming to our province. We need to ensure that we have a plan that not only builds the volume of homes that we need, but we also need the right types of homes.

So we’re going to continue to put forward amendments, legislation, regulation that gets us closer to that 1.5-million target.

My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I was shocked to learn, Minister, that nine of the developers that own land being removed from the greenbelt donated more than $572,000 to the Conservative Party. These developers bought the protected land at a very cheap price, and now, with a stroke of your pen, they can develop that land for incredible profit.

Minister, how did you decide which land owned by which donor should be removed from the greenbelt?

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is not happy with Bill 23. Since this government refused to extend the hearings and let them speak, I’ll read from their written submission: “The bill transfers up to $1 billion a year in costs from private sector developers to property taxpayers without any likelihood of improving affordability.” In other words, “Developers stand to gain. We all stand to lose. Housing will remain unaffordable.”

Minister, why proceed with the developer fee cuts if experts are telling you it won’t make housing affordable?

Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 74(b), the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy be authorized to meet to consider Bill 23, An Act to amend various statutes, to revoke various regulations and to enact the Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions Act, 2022, this afternoon.

I am seeking unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 45(b)(iv), the time for debate on opposition day motion number 3 be allocated as follows: 54 minutes to each of the recognized parties and 12 minutes to the independent members as a group.

Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health. For months, there have been worrying signals from this government about their plans to privatize parts of our public health care system. In August, the Minister of Health received speaking notes that included the phrase, “No, we are not privatizing health care. Full stop.” But this phrase was scribbled out and never used by the minister. Why did the minister or her staff cross out this phrase in her speaking notes?

The Minister’s notes also had this phrase crossed out: “I want to be clear, there has been no expansion to the number of private hospitals who offer publicly funded procedures in Ontario.”

Did the minister or her staff cross out that phrase because there are plans to expand the number of private hospitals and private facilities in Ontario?

Speaker, the minister’s answers today have been very concerning. I’ll give the minister one more chance to reassure Ontarians about our publicly funded, publicly delivered health care system.

Can the minister tell this House today that this government is not privatizing delivery or operation of our health care system?

Interjections.

I will answer that question the same way I answered that question in August: No, no, no. We will continue to fund health care in the province of Ontario so that people get the health care they deserve in the communities they need to have that access to care. We have incredible doctors, nurses, physician assistants—I can go on and on—who are doing that work in hospitals, in community, in our long-term-care homes, and that work will continue.

We have expanded the number of nurses who are training in the province of Ontario. We actually have programs that they can learn and stay, where we pay for their tuition and their books. We have expanded the number of physicians who can train in the province of Ontario. We have worked with the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Nurses of Ontario to make sure that individuals who have applied and asked for licences in the province of Ontario get those assessments done quickly.

We are acting; you are fearmongering.

I’d like to welcome several physicians from Kingston and the Islands. I have Dr. Joy Hataley, Dr. Premkumar, Dr. Veronica Legnini, Dr. Salim, Dr. Rao, Dr. Burley and Dr. Rijal. Thank you very much. I’m looking forward to seeing you later today, and welcome to Queen’s Park.

The NDP has laid out their housing policy pretty clearly. They stand with higher fees that add up to $116,900 on the cost of a home in the greater Golden Horseshoe. That’s what—

Interjections.

They will always stand up for higher fees. They will always stand up for delay which adds cost at the end of the day. We’re going to stand with young families, with new Canadians and with seniors who want to realize the dream of home ownership. That’s who we stand up for.

Interjections.

We’re going to continue to stand up for those taxpayers who want to realize the dream of home ownership. The NDP—it’s really Ontari-no that they stand up for.

The member can disagree with her former colleague at Toronto city council, but we are going to ensure that those mayors in Toronto and Ottawa and the work we’ll do in those six regions—that we’ll be able to get shovels in the ground.

We’ve got an ambitious plan, Speaker, one that will put a plan in place to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. A third of the growth in the next decade will take place in Toronto and Ottawa. We need to ensure that those mayors have the tools. This bill does just that.

Official opposition, come to order.

Thank you to the member from Windsor–Tecumseh for that very important question. This government understands the people of Ontario are under pressure. Costs are going up, and we are facing an uncertain global economic environment.

That is why we have a plan to keep costs down and put more money back in the pockets of hard-working Ontarians. In the spring, we cut the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel tax by 5.3 cents per litre for six months. Our 2022 fall economic statement, if passed, would extend this real relief for millions of Ontarians until December 31, 2023.

We have a plan to keep costs down, and this is just one part of how we are getting the job done for the people of Ontario.

Whatever economic uncertainty may bring, our government has a plan.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: On the heels of controversial legislation that would axe conservation authorities, open up the greenbelt for development and download hefty costs from private developer friends of the Premier onto the backs of municipal taxpayers, this Premier is now forcing his unwanted and undemocratic strong-mayor scheme onto regional councils so he can wield even more power, giving himself the authority to hand-pick regional chairs whenever he chooses and institute minority rule.

This affront to democracy has left AMO, conservation authorities and newly elected municipal councils struggling to understand the Premier’s motives. Everyone knows it has nothing to do with building affordable homes.

Will the Premier admit he’s playing “let’s make a deal” politics, setting up a system where he can serve up our greenbelt and farmland to his rich friends in exchange for political support and donations to the Ontario PC Party?

Is the Premier playing “let’s make a deal” politics, setting up a system where he can serve up our greenbelt and farmland to his rich friends for donations to the Ontario PC Party?