Ma question est pour le premier ministre.

At hearings held by the NDP this week, front-line health care workers sounded the alarm about the Ford government’s Bill 7. The bill does nothing to address the human resources crisis in our health care system, but it will force frail seniors into private long-term-care homes miles away from their circle of care and their family.

This raises the question: Is the goal of the bill to help patients, or is it to force frail, elderly seniors into private, for-profit long-term-care homes that no one wants to live in?

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the only people who have been talking about a fee like that for seniors who are going into long-term-care homes have actually been the opposition. They’re the only ones who have talked about it—the Leader of the Opposition, the critic, and the members of the Liberal Party, and, of course, the media, but only as they’re reporting what they have been saying.

We have been saying right from the beginning that the goal of this is to ensure that those who are waiting to go into a long-term-care home, who have been discharged or are about to be discharged from a hospital, have a better opportunity, better outcomes. That is what this legislation was all about.

This is another step, yesterday was another step on the road to improving health care in the province of Ontario—a step that started with Ontario health teams, a step that continued with 58,000 new and upgraded long-term-care beds in every region of the province, with the addition of 27,000 health care workers for long-term care alone, with new hospitals in every part of the province. It is another step to making Ontario have the best health care system in the country and in North America.

They say that it’s a new problem, but let’s look at the Auditor General’s report of 2012: “Given our aging population, developing alternatives to long-term care and implementing more efficient processes for placing people in” long-term-care homes “in a consistent and timely manner is critical.”

She went on to say, “Numerous studies have shown that remaining in hospital longer than medically necessary, including waiting in hospital for” long-term care “can be detrimental to a person’s health for various reasons, among them the potential for a hospital-acquired infection such as C. difficile, and, for older patients, a decline in physical and mental abilities due to lack of activity.”

She went on to say that five provinces have a first-bed policy. This is back in a 2012 report, based on 2011.

What was done in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018? Nothing.

What is true: more resources and better care. We’re standing up for seniors who want better care, who are on a long-term-care waiting list. They want to be in a home. Experts agree it is better to get that care in a long-term-care facility.

This is another step on the way to finally tackling the challenges in health care—that include staffing, that include more hospitals, that include better long-term-care homes.

They should get on board because the status quo is working for nobody.

Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s not about the cost; it’s about giving proper health care to people who should be in long-term-care homes. It’s differentiating between sticking your loved one in a hospital bed—imagine that: a hospital bed for one of your loved ones, when alarms are going off, bells are going off all night, compared to giving them a beautiful home to stay in, a long-term-care home, which will have proper care.

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the opposition: They were preaching at the top of the mountain, saying, “Get people out of the hospitals.” They kept going on and on, and many of them were quoted in the media. All of a sudden, now they change their tune. They can’t have it both ways.

The right place to put people who have been discharged from the doctor is in a proper home, for proper care, to make sure they have a better quality of life.

We aren’t being political. We’re making sure we’re taking care of the people who need support, who need patient care. They’re going to get much better care in a long-term-care facility than sitting in a hospital bed. Even one of the CEOs said this is not good for the ALC patients. What is good is to make sure they get the proper care, and that’s what we’re going to give them.

As the Minister of Long-Term Care said, we’re building 58,000 beds for these seniors.

To the Premier: Yesterday, the Premier was asked about the fees his government wants to impose on seniors to force them into long-term-care homes that they don’t want to go into. He said, “I’ll pretty well guarantee it’s not going to be $1,800.”

Will the Premier make an absolute guarantee today that no senior will be charged that fee?

These numbers, these charges may not matter much to the Premier, but it’s literally a matter of life and death for many seniors across this province.

The government is ramming Bill 7 through today with virtually no debate. They refuse to hear from families and front-line workers who say this bill will be devastating.

And now the Premier is literally not giving any guarantees about what people will be charged.

If we can’t get a guarantee that $1,800 is not on the books—how much does the Premier think seniors should be charged?

Will the Premier do the right thing, admit that this dangerous scheme was rushed, and pull Bill 7 today?

It goes without saying that we welcome all of our visitors to the Legislature.

I would ask and remind members, when they’re making their introductions, to keep them brief and devoid of political statements.

To the Premier: The long-term-care homes with the most available beds are the ones with the worst records of caring for seniors.

Orchard Villa is a private, for-profit long-term-care facility in Pickering where the Armed Forces found residents living in horrifying conditions. Durham police have not ruled out criminal charges. It’s no surprise that their wait-lists are short—literally 42 times shorter than not-for-profit homes of comparable size.

My question is, if a patient doesn’t want to be moved to a private facility like this, why would the government force them?

This question is for the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, after a really tough two years, students are heading back to school next week in need of a lot of extra care and a lot of extra support. Thankfully, they’re going to get some of that support from dedicated education workers—from educational assistants to foodservice workers to the custodians who are keeping HVAC systems working.

Speaker, contracts with these CUPE workers are set to expire today. Will the Premier commit to hiring more education workers so that students have the services they need at this very crucial time?

I want to go back to the Premier. The average income of these education workers is just $39,000 a year, and 91% report that they are facing financial hardship, and more than half of them have to take a second job just to make ends meet.

Will this Premier commit to a wage increase so that the workers who support our kids every single day can support their own families?

I appreciate the member from Mississauga Centre’s question.

Monsieur le Président, tous ont le droit de se sentir en sécurité chez eux et dans leur collectivité.

We’re working with law enforcement agencies across the province to keep Ontario safe, and our government has invested over $200 million to combat gun and gang violence. This unprecedented investment includes $6 million for CCTV cameras for municipalities and First Nations. And we’re investing over $267 million through the Community Safety and Policing Grant program to help police services address priority issues in their community.

Monsieur le Président, notre gouvernement a renforcé la sécurité publique, du premier au dernier échelon.

Community safety is a top priority, not just for those who work in and support Ontario’s policing services, but for all Ontario families.

Since our government came to office, we’ve invested over $17 million in grants for policing in Peel region alone. In fact, yesterday, the Peel Regional Police announced the results of outstanding work on Project Warrior. Peel Regional Police used the funding provided by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, combined with excellent investigative work, to take a staggering $12 million of illicit drugs off the street.

I want to congratulate chief—

Interjections.

We can confirm that under this Progressive Conservative government we are actually increasing the amount of staff in this province by 3,000 more for this coming September—more custodians, more EAs, more ECEs and educators who make a difference in our schools. That is part of our vision for a more normal and, frankly, a much more stable September for these kids—yes, with more people in the schools.

In addition to more dollars, we’re asking for and expecting a higher standard for our kids. We need these children to be immersed in learning with a stable environment that keeps them there from September right to June in a normal, fulsome experience that includes the sports, the extracurriculars and clubs that produce the well-rounded leaders we all want.

Mr. Speaker, our intention for September is to ensure that these kids get back on track—with a learning recovery plan that invests over 650 million more dollars for this September, to ensure these kids are well supported and get back on track.

The member didn’t even ask the question setting the priority of keeping kids in school, which ought to be the priority of every MPP in this place. Mr. Speaker, our priority is ensuring stability for children. The question should focus on our kids. It’s about time the opposition starts to get on track with that imperative of stability for kids.

That’s why we’ve ensured more money is in place for September. It’s why we’ve been negotiating in good faith to land a fair deal for the workers but a good deal for our families. The principle that we’re going to communicate to the union, to the board of trustees and the people of the province is: We’ll stand up for stability for your children.

Final supplementary?

To reply, the government House leader.

Interjections.

The next question.

My question is to the Premier.

Sabrina and her husband, Jack, are both registered nurses. Their four-year-old daughter, Hazel, lives with type 1 diabetes and is starting junior kindergarten in September. In what should be a time of excitement for a young family, Sabrina will have to take an unpaid leave of absence to administer medication to her daughter at school. Hazel is on a wait-list. There is not one single community nurse available who can come into the classroom each day and assist Hazel with managing her needs.

Premier, we are in the midst of a staffing crisis. With this province already short 30,000 nurses, will this government commit to more community nurses for schools so health care workers like Sabrina and Jack aren’t forced to choose between their families and their jobs?

My question is for the Solicitor General.

My constituents in Brampton West are deeply concerned about crime in Peel, especially when smuggled guns and illicit drugs are involved. Every day, Mr. Speaker, they hear on the news about the gang violence fuelled by smuggled guns and drugs.

Can the minister tell us about our government’s plan to combat the drug flow in Peel?

Under our watch, Mr. Speaker, we have seen the level of care increase in this province like it has never happened before. Under our watch, his own riding is getting $55 million more for care in the homes that he has. Under our watch, I have approved over 500 new long-term-care beds for people in his riding alone. Under our watch, investments in health care have grown to the highest level in Canadian history. Under our watch—a new hospital in Mississauga. Under our watch, small and medium-sized hospitals finally get budgets that are equivalent to large hospitals. Under our watch—the largest investment in health care in Ottawa’s history. Under our watch—new hospitals in Niagara. Under our watch—four hours of care for seniors. Under our watch—58,000 new and upgraded long-term-care beds. Under our watch, we’ll get it done.

My question is for the Solicitor General.

Speaker, Peel has experienced an increased number of gun-related crimes—and I would also like to welcome Chief Nish and Director Payette of Peel police, and congratulate our brave men and women in uniform from Peel on leadership on issues like combatting human trafficking, mental health and community safety.

Interjections.

Unfortunately, it is not rare to hear the news about innocent Ontarians being caught in a crossfire, both figuratively and literally.

Monsieur le Président, Mississauga a connu une augmentation de la violence et de la criminalité des gangs.

What is the Solicitor General doing to combat gang-fuelled violence and smuggled guns in Peel?

Again to the Premier: Let’s be clear, 70 people died in this facility, over 100 staff got sick—soiled diapers, dehydration, cockroaches and flies everywhere.

Time and time again, the government has bent over backwards to support for-profit long-term care. They exempted them from legal liability, ignored their own commission’s call to eliminate profit in long-term care, and granted facilities like Orchard Villa licence renewals of 30 years, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now they are literally threatening seniors with massive fees if they refuse to move to these homes. Does this government truly believe that this is fair to seniors and their families—as 5,000 people died under your watch in the last four years?

—la sécurité de notre province.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

Back to the Premier, through the minister: Increasing nurses at this time for Jack and Sabrina doesn’t help. They’re RNs. They’re nurses. Their workplace will be short now that they have to go and look after their daughter.

During the pandemic, we saw that working mothers became the default parent, leaving their jobs to manage virtual learning during a time when daycares and schools were closed. Now nursing shortages have trickled down to the education sector. Every child has the right to equal access to education, and every parent deserves to know their child has the care they need when they need it—without sacrificing their career.

Premier, will your government commit to a plan to ensure working mothers like Sabrina are not forced out of a workplace that is already in a severe crisis to fill gaps within an already broken system?

I want to thank the member for the question.

We do agree; these children should have access to the practitioners they need wherever they are. That’s why, two years ago, working with the Minister of Finance, under the Premier’s leadership, we actually doubled the number of public health nurses who work in our schools—640 public health nurses working in schools—

Interjection: Where are they? Name one.

At a time when front-line workers are making a difference in our schools and our communities, we should be grateful for their contributions to our kids and to our communities. It’s precisely why we more than doubled the allocation. It’s why we increased investments overall for special education by an additional $90 million for this year. It is now at the highest levels ever recorded in the history of this province, because we want those kids to get the services they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, we’re going to continue to increase investments, increase access to staff and practitioners, and work with the Minister of Health across ministries to improve the services for the kids of this province.

I love being able to highlight all of the work that our government is doing to increase the number of health human resources who practise and work in the province of Ontario.

There is no doubt that across Canada, and indeed the world, we are experiencing shortages in our critically important health care system.

However, what we have seen here in Ontario is that by investing $35 million to increase enrolment in nursing education programs, we are actually expanding spaces to introduce over 1,130 new practical nurses and 870 registered nurses into the health care system.

I’ve been working with the College of Nurses of Ontario to make sure that individuals who have applied to practise and work in the province of Ontario get those applications reviewed and expedited quickly. We’ll continue to do this because people like Sabrina need to have that confidence that when their young daughter goes to school, they have the resources they need to make sure her diabetes is monitored and they’re looked after.

We have talked and we have acted on home care in particular. I often talk about how, as a government, we are ensuring that hospitals have capacity, that community care has capacity, that long-term care has capacity, that primary care has capacity. We’re doing that through investments specifically related to home care.

I want to highlight the $1 billion that is in our most recent budget, which will ensure that 739 nursing visits are able to be provided in community—157,000 nursing shift hours in community; 117,000 therapy visits, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, in community. It’s what people deserve. It’s what people expect. It’s what we are delivering.