As I join the debate this morning on Bill 26, I am reminded of how I celebrate with all members of this House and all members of our communities the great legacy of the late Honourable Bill Davis, former Premier of Ontario, who was recognized in this House just a few weeks ago. His great legacy was the community college system, which now stands proudly beside our great university system across the province of Ontario.

I can say that members of my family have had the benefit of post-secondary education through both the college programs and the university programs. In my riding of Durham, we have Durham College and Ontario Tech, a college and a university that work together, with thousands of students in both post-secondary institutions having diplomas and degrees from both institutions. That is part of the proud legacy of Premier Davis, and that is our future: diversity of students and diversity of programs, grounded in education and educational principles of the past, but preparing for the jobs and careers of tomorrow. And we attract, of course, students internationally at our colleges and universities.

As a student here at the University of Toronto, in my undergraduate studies I walked through Queen’s Park daily and was proud to do so. We’re right here, as a neighbour of the University of Toronto’s St. George campus. Then, of course, Osgoode Hall Law School at York University is where I attended after undergrad. I remember my days as a student, but I also had the privilege of being an adjunct instructor at Durham College, teaching evidence in the faculty of justice and emergency services, and then an adjunct, also, at Queen’s law school, teaching advocacy and insurance law.

When you have that opportunity to teach our students at college or university, it brings you back to your days as a student, and it’s such a wonderful opportunity to see the idealism of our young people. Our young people deserve a place to learn, to come together and to be safe and free. That is why I speak today in this House about the importance of moving forward to pass this government’s bill, the proposed Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act, 2022, Bill 26.

This bill confirms our government’s commitment that was made to all students, leading up to the June 2, 2022 election this year. This commitment is to ensure that they have access to a secure and safe learning environment while attending any post-secondary institution across the province of Ontario.

This legislation, if passed, would amend the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act and the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005, to help protect students in cases of faculty and staff sexual misconduct and harassment, but also to allow the institutions to address complaints more efficiently when they arise. These changes would better protect students who experience faculty and staff sexual violence, on and off campus.

The proposed changes would do so in three ways:

—strengthening tools available to institutions in order to address instances of faculty or staff sexual misconduct against students; that is, deeming sexual abuse of a student to be just cause for dismissal;

—preventing the use of non-disclosure agreements to address instances where an employee leaves an institution to be employed at another institution, their prior wrongdoing thereby remaining a secret; that would be prohibited and prevented; and

—requiring institutions to have employee sexual misconduct policies that, at a minimum, include the institution’s rules with respect to sexual behaviour that involves employees and students of the institution, and examples of disciplinary measures that may be imposed on those employees who contravene such policies.

Within this proposed legislation, the bill would also amend the Ryerson University Act, 1977, and the University Foundations Act, 1992. This would change the name of Ryerson University to Toronto Metropolitan University—TMU—and it would change the size and composition of TMU’s senate.

As important as amending these acts are, I would like to return to the first points I mentioned earlier, because for far too long there has been a culture of sexual violence and harassment on college and university campuses. This is unacceptable. I listened carefully to the members speaking from the opposition benches earlier this week, yesterday in particular, and it seems that we share that great concern. That’s why I look forward to the members opposite supporting this bill, because the members opposite and this government know that students deserve better.

Therefore, we are proposing these legislative amendments that would require publicly assisted post-secondary institutions and private career colleges to have specific procedures in place that address and increase transparency—transparency of faculty and staff, transparency with respect to sexual misconduct—requiring institutions to have specific codes of conduct.

Mr. Speaker, as a proud parent who has seen both my son, Brendan, and my daughter, Meaghan, graduate from their respective universities—and Brendan graduated from a private career college, the College of Sports Media, in 2018. Both have gone on to thrive in their chosen professions: Meaghan as a lawyer, a barrister and solicitor, following in my footsteps, and Brendan as a story editor at TSN. I pause with great concern about all young students, however, who may not have been so fortunate because of the trauma that they may have endured as a victim of sexual violence or harassment. I also pause to raise concerns about the anguish endured by parents as they watch their children relive those experiences at the expense of a delayed or postponed education because of the trauma they endured while at school.

The status quo is no longer acceptable, and our government is prepared to act by giving post-secondary institutions the tools they need to address instances of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. To address this issue, then, our government held consultations with more than 100 stakeholders, including representatives from post-secondary institutions, labour and student groups, private career colleges, faculty associations and community organizations. Our government has heard from experts and stakeholders the best ways to address this ongoing and serious problem. These changes also build on the new regulatory amendments that our government introduced last fall to protect students from inappropriate questioning or disciplinary action when they report acts of sexual violence.

We all have a role to play in creating learning environments where students feel supported, protected and safe, and with these amendments, we can and will take action to change the atmosphere and culture of sexual misconduct and harassment.

The nature of this legislation is to support students and change the culture of behaviour within colleges and universities for decades. With this change of culture, members of this Legislature will recall that back in April, following many years of consultation and feedback, the recommendation was made to change the name of Ryerson University to Toronto Metropolitan University. In concurrence with this recommendation, our government is introducing legislative amendments to allow the university to legally change its name, along with the institution’s composition and size of its senate, to introduce two new faculties: the Lincoln Alexander School of Law and the soon-to-be established faculty of medicine. These legislative amendments will not only support our government’s efforts to ensure Ontario has a post-secondary system that is inclusive and promotes the success of students but also help Toronto Metropolitan University begin a new chapter in its history. These faculties are hailed as much-needed steps towards addressing Ontario’s post-secondary educational needs.

The naming of Toronto Metropolitan University’s new faculty of law after a renowned and respected public figure—that being the Honourable Lincoln Alexander, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1985 to 1991—naming the new faculty of law at TMU after Lincoln Alexander does indeed do justice and respect not only to him but to the school and to our community at large.

The opening of the new faculty of medicine is consistent with our government’s commitment to improving and investing in Ontario’s health care by training and accrediting new doctors who will practise their profession in much-needed service areas throughout Ontario.

And this, of course, has a geographical component to it. Continuing with the trend that we’ve seen where post-secondary institutions have campuses at various locations, TMU’s faculty of medicine will be located geographically in Brampton, and that is consistent—near my riding, for example, Trent University, based in Peterborough, is located in south Oshawa, that part of Oshawa that I share with the member for Oshawa, who, I hope and believe, along with her colleagues in the official opposition, will support this bill.

With that, Speaker, I conclude my submissions in support of Bill 26, and I look forward to any questions and to further debate.

Thank you to the member from Durham for your presentation. I do want to say, as a member from Waterloo, we have the University of Waterloo, we have Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga, so I meet regularly with students and faculty of all those institutions. I think there is a component of this bill that perhaps doesn’t recognize how much courage it takes to come forward when you have experienced sexual violence. When that courage is displayed, it needs to be honoured.

There is certainly a lack of resources on campuses to deal with the counselling that is required to deal with the mental health fallout that often falls from not feeling safe on campus. If we do have the shared goal of ensuring that staff, faculty and students feel safe on our campuses, can the member for Durham address the lack of resources that currently exist and where this legislation does not apply?

Well, we’re here debating Bill 26, so in response to the question relevant to Bill 26, if I may, Speaker, I can say that it is a major step forward for Ontario and consistent with the late Premier Davis’s legacy on community colleges. Look how far we’ve come in just 50 years since the creation of that. They are so well integrated in so many communities, like Durham.

But what this does, of course, is such that, when it comes to this particular bill—and certainly the opposition and the government MPPs have their differences, but on Bill 26 I believe we can stand united. I cannot see a single reason why members of the opposition would choose to vote against Bill 26 because of the position it would put unions in while bargaining new agreements. So I want to remind this House that members from Toronto Centre, Kitchener Centre, Davenport and Toronto–St. Paul’s introduced a bill about awareness of sexual violence on post-secondary campuses. Surely that awareness is there and should justify the—

I rise today with the honour to speak on behalf and in support of Bill 26, the Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act, 2022. The Minister of Colleges and Universities continues her great work on behalf of Ontario students, and I’m pleased to contribute to her work today.

Our government is committed to ensuring students have access to a secure and safe learning environment. We’ve taken recent steps to strengthen supports for post-secondary students reporting sexual violence or harassment. We must also specifically address sexual misconduct by faculty and staff toward students. That is why we’re proposing legislative amendments that would require publicly assisted post-secondary institutions and private career colleges to have specific processes in place that address, and increase transparency of, faculty and staff sexual misconduct.

If passed, these changes would better protect students who experience faculty and staff sexual violence by:

—strengthening tools available to institutions in order to address instances of faculty or staff sexual misconduct against students; deeming sexual abuse of a student to be just cause for dismissal is one example;

—preventing the use of non-disclosure agreements to address instances where an employee leaves an institution to be employed at another institution and their prior wrongdoing remains a secret; and

—requiring institutions to have codes of conduct regarding faculty and staff sexual misconduct.

As a parent, I am sure I’m not alone in this. We raise our children knowing that at some point they will leave the safety and security of the family home. We do our very best to prepare them and provide them with the skills and the tools for success and their safety, but we still must let them go.

We have recently seen a series of stories regarding sexual misconduct in publicly trusted institutions. Clearly, more must be done to protect the children of this province, and that’s why I’m speaking today in support of Bill 26.

Speaker, if you’ll indulge me this opportunity, I’d like to quote the minister on introduction of this important bill. The minister stated, “Our government believes that no one should have to worry about sexual violence or misconduct on or off campus. And from day one, we have been clear: this government has zero tolerance for sexual assault, harassment, or any other forms of violence or misconduct. All post-secondary institutions have a responsibility to provide a safe and supportive learning environment and are expected to do everything possible to address issues of sexual violence and misconduct on campuses. While our government has taken action to strengthen the policies that protect post-secondary students who report incidents of sexual violence or harassment on campus, we must also address acts committed by faculty and staff towards students.”

I know that the Minister of Colleges and Universities is passionate about this issue, as she too is a parent. As I said earlier, we as parents do our best to prepare our children for the rigours and risks of the real world. That’s why we are here today, to enhance the safety of our children and students in the post-secondary world.

That’s why last summer the minister held consultations with more than 100 stakeholders, including representatives from post-secondary institutions, labour and student groups, private career colleges, faculty associations and community organizations. Today, I am pleased to support the minister on the legislative amendments contained in Bill 26 that, if passed, would require publicly assisted colleges and universities and private career colleges to have specific processes in place that address and increase transparency of faculty and staff sexual misconduct on post-secondary campuses.

Again, the strengthened policies would allow institutions to:

—deem the sexual abuse of a student as just cause for dismissal;

—prevent the use of non-disclosure agreements to address cases where an employee leaves an institution to be employed at another institution and their prior wrongdoing remains a secret and unknown; and

—require institutions to have sexual misconduct policies in place that provide rules for behaviour between faculty, staff and students, as well as disciplinary measures for faculty and staff who break these rules.

These changes would not only help protect students in cases of faculty and staff sexual misconduct, but also allow the institutions to better address complaints when they arise. The changes also build on the new regulatory amendments that our government introduced last fall to protect students from inappropriate questioning or disciplinary action when they report acts of sexual violence. All of us have a role to play in creating learning environments where students feel safe and supported, and with these legislative amendments we will ensure that all post-secondary students in Ontario can feel safe on campus.

The Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act, 2022, if passed, would further protect students by providing measures for post-secondary institutions to address faculty and staff sexual misconduct towards students on campus. I can’t say it better than the minister, so I’ll once again share her powerful words upon her introduction of Bill 26, words I feel all of us in this great House can get behind and support.

The minister stated, “All students deserve to learn in a safe and supportive learning environment. From day one, we have been clear: This government has zero tolerance for sexual assault, harassment or any other forms of violence or misconduct. That’s why we’re taking action to better protect students from sexual violence and misconduct on and off campus.”

Additionally, I would like to point out that through Bill 26, if passed, our government is introducing legislative amendments so Ryerson University can legally change its name to Toronto Metropolitan University. The proposed change in name supports our government’s efforts to ensure Ontario has a post-secondary system that embraces diversity, inclusivity and promotes success for all learners, including Indigenous learners, so they can find rewarding careers. These legislative amendments contained within Bill 26, if passed, will help Toronto Metropolitan University begin a new chapter in its history and better reflects the current values and aspirations of the institution.

Bill 26, the Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act, is about combining student safety and student protection as they go about their learning experience at Ontario’s 23 public universities, 24 colleges or 400-plus registered private career colleges.

Heading off to post-secondary school is a new-found freedom for many of our children. It’s an exciting time of their lives in a new environment, maybe a new community far from their home. This exciting time in our students’ and our children’s lives should serve as a safe and secure experience for learning. That’s why I’m speaking today on behalf of my colleague’s important bill. Any effort we can take to protect our children, our students, is something I can proudly stand in the House and support.

Thank you to my colleague for his speech and remarks this morning. I’m just wondering if he can comment on how the government is helping to keep publicly assisted colleges and university campuses safer, including campus sexual violence prevention.

The prevalence of gender-based and sexual violence on university and college campuses is disturbing and upsetting. I know we can all agree: Students attending colleges and universities across this province should not be victims of sexual violence and harassment. The overall safety of students should be the top priority of our educational institutions and our government. We must ensure students attending college or university in London or anywhere across this province feel safe and supported.

Can the Minister of Colleges and Universities share with the House how our government’s proposed legislation, Bill 26, will strengthen protection for students from gender-based and sexual violence, and how this legislation will improve campus safety?

While we know that there are faculty and staff who do incredible work at our local colleges and universities, it is clear that Bill 26 is intended to strengthen measures to protect our students. Speaker, can the minister tell the House how this bill will help protect students in cases of faculty and staff sexual misconduct?

Thank you to the member for such an important question. Our government has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of sexual violence or harassment. As a mother of three post-secondary-aged daughters, I know first-hand the feeling as a parent of wanting your kids to enjoy everything the post-secondary education journey has to offer, while still worrying about their safety and their well-being.

One of the first actions I took as Minister of Colleges and Universities was to participate in sector-wide consultations to determine how, as a sector, we could better address instances of sexual violence on campus. What we heard across the board is that we need to find ways to not only empower survivors but also deal with the issues surrounding the prevalence of power dynamics and secrecy in many instances of sexual violence.

If passed, Bill 26 will tackle just that. It will prevent any instances of sexual violence committed by a faculty or staff member from going unreported and prevent those who commit acts of sexual violence from moving from one institution to the next under the protection of non-disclosure agreements. I look forward—

In speaking with many of those faculty and staff members, the changes we are proposing in Bill 26 are long overdue and desperately needed in the sector. Specifically, these changes would give institutions stronger tools to address instances of faculty or staff sexual misconduct against students, prevent the use of non-disclosure agreements and further require institutions to have sexual misconduct policies in place.

Our government will always do what is necessary to keep the people of Ontario safe. As minister and mother, I encourage members of our faculty and staff across the post-secondary sector to stand with me and our government to make sure that students are safe on campuses.