Thank you for the question.

There are so many things that are missing from this budget. There are probably too many to list, as I’ve got a minute left. But I do want to highlight one thing which I think is critically important.

Earlier this month, Statistics Canada released some new data and it specifically talked about the rise of gender-based violence and how Canada is seeing no end in sight. We’ve seen the highest level of gender-based violence that we have seen in past years, and this has grown an astounding 18%. There’s absolutely nothing in this budget that addresses gender-based violence. I couldn’t even find the words “gender-based violence.” I couldn’t find the words “sexual assault.” And yet we know it’s an epidemic in Ontario.

That is one example of the things that are missing, but we also know that when it comes to missing one critical policy piece, the others fall apart—with respect to court services and support, with respect to housing for women who are fleeing violent situations, with respect to children who are losing the capacity to stay in school because their housing situation is so unstable.

Next, we have the member for Scarborough–Guildwood.

First of all, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Scarborough–Guildwood for her re-election to this august House.

For 15 years, the Liberals—my colleague was part of that government, as the Minister of Education and other posts or positions—did not plan for the growth of our city or province. The best demonstration is Scarborough—for 15 years, Scarborough has been ignored.

During our government’s last term, we brought so many important infrastructure projects, like subways, building hospitals, community centres, medical centres.

Wouldn’t my colleague support our plans—which will also benefit individuals in Scarborough—to improve the quality of life?

I’d like to thank the member opposite for a very eloquent speech and address to the House. She touched on many very important issues that we obviously addressed during the election. And we won a historic victory.

We also understand—this House, this party and this government understand—that all Ontarians are struggling, not only with inflation but the rising cost of living in all the areas she touched on.

A simple question to the member for Scarborough–Guildwood: Does the opposition not support the historic increase to the ODSP that we are presenting, that will be adjusted, I might add, for inflation in the future?

Questions?

Thank you to the member opposite.

It does not meet the current needs that people have. It actually doesn’t come close to meeting the inflation cost and pressures. Someone in my community said to me, “Milk is so expensive right now, and babies need milk.” People on ODSP need the government to recognize that. It does not meet the current need of the affordability crisis that people are facing in this province, and it’s actually forcing them into food bank lines.

In my riding, there has been an over 25% increase in food bank use. When you look at the faces of those individuals, it’s really changing.

There’s a real, desperate need there. If you talk to people who are part of the ODSP coalition, you’ll hear that it needs much more than that.

We, the Ontario Liberals, say 20% immediately, with a review of the basic income pilot so that we can provide adequacy for people who are most vulnerable in this province.

So I do believe that all Ontarians should be able to have a choice in how they live in our society, and our society should accommodate that.

What is very distressing in this situation is that the government creates so many hurdles for people who are on ODSP, even just to access support. During the pandemic, there was a $200 amount that they had access to, but they had to go through their caseworker. So many people contacted my office because those offices were closed, or people were working from home and they were inaccessible. So why would the government put an extra burden on people on ODSP, rather than just distributing the funds to the cases that they know they have on record and have on file?

Absolutely, there is more that can be done to support people with disabilities in this province.

We often rise in this House and put questions to the government, but sometimes those questions are best coming from our constituents. I want to raise this one from a constituent back home for the member for Scarborough–Guildwood. It’s from Donna Behnke. She’s from Elliot Lake. She writes: “If any of them had a single ethical bone in their body or even the slightest hint of common decency, they would do what is right. Does”—she used “Ford,” but I’ll change it to “Premier”—“not realize some people on ODSP are fighting mental illness? People with cancer, people that had strokes, people that had multiple sclerosis—the list goes on and on. He needs to stop painting everyone with the same paintbrush. The Premier and prior governments always target the poor. You can’t make healthy people by destroying them. They will never be fit to hold a job. But what it will do is push more people to seek out MAID.”

My question to the member is, do you agree with Donna?

I thank my colleague from Scarborough–Agincourt. We are on the same side, when it comes to fighting for the people of Scarborough–Guildwood. That’s why I was elected nine years ago. Speaker, on August 1, which is Emancipation Day, I was elected by the people of Scarborough to do this very thing, to fight for them.

Scarborough is a community I grew up in—went to high school; went to University of Toronto, Scarborough campus. I know Scarborough needs more infrastructure. In fact, the extension of the subway is something I fought for. I was elected in 2013 as the “subway champion,” to bring that very infrastructure to the people of Scarborough. I continue to fight for the people of Scarborough.

You recently announced a medical school for Scarborough. That was a project that I helped to co-create with the former principal of the University of Toronto Scarborough campus because I noticed that we had a gap in that area. I pushed for that.

Oftentimes, that’s what the people of our province expect—that in successive governments, you will build on the work that has already started for their benefit.

I will always continue to fight for the people of Scarborough and for what they need.

I’m also very proud of the environmental contributions that were driven by the former Liberal government. The closure of coal plants was recognized even by President Obama as the most significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases in North America by any jurisdiction, and that was led by a Liberal government.

I’m also proud of how the former Liberal government handled the Great Recession. We remember how precarious everything was. We brought back over 800,000 jobs. All of the jobs that were lost during the Great Recession were brought back under our leadership. That is why I call out this current government in terms of what they are doing—with the lack of vision, the lack of a road map, the lack of a plan in this budget—when we’re facing such precarious economic times.

Of course, on health care, we have some of the most innovative approaches—Cancer Care Ontario—to our health system, in terms of leading the transformation and renewal of our health system.

That form of innovation and leadership is needed today and always. And I give credit to the great people of Ontario for our great education system, and the people who work so hard—

Questions?

I appreciate this opportunity to speak to our Plan to Build Act. But in my first official opportunity outside of question period to speak in this place, Mr. Speaker, I want to express a heartfelt thank you to the people, my constituents, of Kenora–Rainy River for five elections—four of them, I had an opportunity to come to either the other place, the House of Commons in Ottawa, and here now for my second session. I appreciate the support, the confidence that you have put in me.

Standing in this place today, I reflect on the past four years. I would make the observation that it went quite quickly, as these sessions often do. Just getting back from AMO in Ottawa—the seven years that I spent there and the seven years since seem a bit of a blur. But in sitting down with some of my older old colleagues from that other place and looking around this magnificent Legislature, I am struck by the opportunity for renewal—most notably, in this session, the strong, stable majority that the people of Ontario have given the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and some fresh new faces to join us here today, because they rejected out of hand the platforms of the opposition parties and, in particular, if you will, the gaggle of non-affiliates across the way there who used to form the governing party for some 15 years. So if there’s anything to be proud of there, it is the fact that they’ll have an opportunity to sit in this place and take note of the fact that in this legislative session, the people of Ontario have sent a strong message that they want our government to continue to build.

I’m going to focus, for the purposes of my remarks, on northern Ontario, where not only did we pick up a few new seats, but we also got a couple of those NDP members out on the doorstep a lot more vigorously than they’re used to, as we replaced a couple of seats in northern Ontario and finished a strong, notable second in every other seat across northern Ontario—a historic finish in and of itself. I want to thank the candidates who ran for us across northern Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, from hospitals to highways, from bridges to broadband, we’re committed to building northern Ontario and rebuilding our economy across northern Ontario. In the past four years, several new mines moved to construction or transitioned into electrification only. This isn’t just sound environmental policy; this puts significant demands, positive pressure on our northern communities to ensure that we’re ready and that we continue to be ready, as some northern communities across the province will see exponential growth and therefore requirements for infrastructure and community enhancements moving forward.

We understand the opportunity to ensure that our highways, our modes of transportation, are upgraded. We saw, in print, our budget highlighting a plan to twin Highway 17 from the Manitoba border to Kenora, and hopefully points beyond, as we make a commitment not just based on safety, but based also on the economic opportunity to link our northern communities across some 800,000 square kilometres and ensure, as we move from earth to electric vehicles, from mining to motors, that for the first time we have a fully integrated supply chain in our transportation modalities—most notably buses, transport trucks and electric-powered vehicles—that northern Ontario is part of that integrated supply chain. More importantly, it would start there. So, safe transportation modes, rail into the Far North out in northeastern Ontario, and a plan to link our highways with two-plus-one and/or twinning is a great way to get started.

My colleague the Minister of Mines and I have an extraordinary opportunity to continue on with our growth plan to open up what I’ve referred to as the corridor to prosperity, leveraging what governments do. Let mining companies build those mines; we will be there to support the regulatory pieces, but most notably, to create a highway or road infrastructure to leverage health, social and economic opportunities for those isolated communities in the north. I know a thing or two about that. I spent more than eight years of my life living and working as a nurse in those isolated communities. Retired in that capacity, I also served as a lawyer—I asked my constituents not to hold that part against me—and then as a politician, ensuring and committed that the northern communities—I even got a smile from the Speaker on that one. Lawyers are good people, Mr. Speaker, just for the record—just to ensure that we understand the opportunity to connect our communities.

There has been much discussion about health care. As a former health care provider and someone who has worked with communities across northern Ontario to improve access to health services and programs—we’re investing $142 million, starting in 2022-23, to recruit and retain health care workers in underserved communities. This will start with $81 million, beginning in this fiscal year, to expand the Community Commitment Program for Nurses, which includes compensation and recovery for the cost of full tuition for nurses.

We see at Seven Generations Education Institute in Fort Frances and Kenora an incredible opportunity, as that Indigenous post-secondary education institution, now accessible for all students, is training in paramedicine, PSWs, RPNs and registered nurses.

There is a plan and a relationship to work with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to address one of the greatest opportunities we’ve seen perhaps in a generation, and that is to ensure that students attending northern high schools—and now northern colleges and potentially northern medical schools—will have an opportunity to play out and live out their dream to be educated and then work in their region. As a young man coming from southern Ontario, armed with a diploma in nursing in the very late 1980s, early 1990s, I came there, I settled there, I made it my home, and went on to other things. We need to ensure, moving forward, that as many northern students have that opportunity.

The expansion of these kinds of programs—the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant—will support and attract the retention of a whole host of human resources, health human resources, moving forward. We think that is the right thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about a couple of other programs that are highlighted in this bill but that find their importance in the previous session—because this is about building. It’s not just building Ontario as a legislative exercise; it’s about a government building on the previous session.

A couple of those key things for northern Ontario were found in the Northern Energy Advantage Program. This wasn’t just a rebrand. This was a program that replaced the northern industrial energy rebate program. NEAP, as it’s called, is kind of neat, because it provides—now, as opposed to before—large industrial electricity consumers with competitive and predictable electricity rates. This program is now broader in scope and will assist more major and larger operations, through a new investor class, to be competitive. In the forestry sector, margins are razor-thin. Mines are pivoting to full electrification, in some cases, and they need to know that that cost has certainty—unlike from the previous government—and that it’s competitive.

Listen to the names of companies that have rallied behind our government, Mr. Speaker, to support this and access this:

—Algoma Steel, which is now transitioning to an electric arc furnace thanks to the investments that we’re putting into their operations;

—Domtar, one of the most efficient pulp producers across northern Ontario—in fact, in the world—right there in Dryden, in my own riding;

—Evolution Mining;

—Vale Canada in Sudbury;

—Impala Canada;

—GreenFirst Forest Products;

—Pan American Silver; and

—Agnico Eagle.

These have a couple of interesting features. They are anchor tenants and major employers in all our ridings.

Historically, we’ve brought these programs to this legislative floor.

And do you know what, Mr. Speaker? Are you curious?

The Speaker is curious.

They have two features: They were transformative programs, and the members of the NDP, for reasons I don’t understand, voted against them. They have a chance at redemption here today and as we vote moving forward. They’re going to get an opportunity to support these programs. They’re going to get an opportunity to ensure that their constituents, especially the younger ones, have an opportunity to transition out of high school or out of college or other training, Red Seal training, into the industries that have characterized northern Ontario for well over a century. This is a plan to build, but this is a plan for opportunity.

I mentioned transportation modalities earlier in my remarks, and I just want to return to that for a moment. Our government’s efforts in the last session and moving forward, as highlighted in our plan to build, include cutting the gas tax and fuel tax by a combined 11 cents. That doesn’t sound like a lot, until you fuel up jets and my 133-litre tank in my pickup truck, to serve one of the largest ridings in northern Ontario with highway networks.

It’s a commitment to make investments through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, widely acknowledged as one of the most robust efforts to modernize the investments for municipalities and northern businesses moving forward. But it also made investments in airports—the town of Hearst, to replace the René Fontaine Municipal Airport in-ground fuel system; the town of Iroquois Falls, to make improvements to the Iroquois Falls municipal airport; Confederation College, to improve and expand and modernize its aviation programs so pilots can move out across northern Ontario to ensure safe passage across some 800,000 square kilometres of this amazing part of the province; and, of course, closer to home, for my purposes, in the city of Dryden and the town of Fort Frances, improvements to their facilities and terminal buildings.

I’m so pleased to serve with an amazing Premier and a caucus, frankly, who have made sure that every time discussion substantively comes up in caucus or cabinet, it is viewed mandatorily through a northern Ontario lens, and that we continue to understand that through things like the Northern Ontario Resource Development Support Fund, we are ensuring that our towns and cities, where pressures are put on them as a result of the resource sector, are accounted for and are stackable to work with other levels of government, including our own, for meaningful upgrades to their infrastructure that’s targeted towards the impact of resource development.

I’m going to take up the last few minutes to talk about, in my capacity as Minister of Indigenous Affairs, some of the tremendous progress that has been made not just historically but for the purposes of this plan to build.

We sat down with Indigenous business and political leaders to talk about a wealth creation table and a prosperity table. We took our direction from then-Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald, now the national chief. We took our lead from people like Matt Jamieson, president and CEO of Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corp.; my friend Kevin Eshkawkogan, president and CEO of Indigenous Tourism Ontario; Brenda LaRose, partner and head of the national diversity and Indigenous board practice; Desiree Norwegian—one of my favourites—owner and chief executive officer of Atunda Inc., working in the nuclear sector; and of course, a dear friend of mine, Darren Harper, co-founder and president of Maawandoon Inc. What they know is what we know: the tremendous opportunity for Indigenous communities and businesses to prosper. It’s why we’ve advanced and built on resource revenue-sharing agreements between Indigenous communities in the province. It’s why we have invested in increased funding for Aboriginal financial institutes to access capital. We’re going to have more to say on that as budget 2022 endeavours to address the Indigenous Economic Development Fund highlighted in our plan to build.

This is exciting because this is organic. It comes from Regional Chief Glen Hare’s pen and his adviser Ted Nolan—you will remember him as the coach of the Buffalo Sabres and a former player in the National Hockey League. My only wish is that he had played for my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs. But forget all that. For the purposes of this discussion, Ted, who has one of the largest business networks the province over and the country over, with Indigenous partners, has come to the table to advise Regional Chief Hare and create an opportunity to the tune of $25 million.

The Chiefs of Ontario office and their Indigenous leadership, the Grand Chief included, know that access to capital, investing in Indigenous businesses is the right way to go.

Mr. Speaker, finally, on that note and making a quick pivot, Indigenous businesses, now more than ever, under the revamped Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, are seeing exciting opportunities—expanding existing businesses, helping to support the creation of new ones, and, vitally, by virtue of our business programs in the new-look Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, ensuring that they are an essential part of the supply chains.

As I mentioned earlier, not only does northern Ontario count itself in from mines to motors, from the earth to electric vehicles—from some of the most northern communities that you can contemplate, right down to the Stellantis plant in Windsor that we intend to onboard—but we want to include Indigenous communities in that opportunity.

So, Mr. Speaker, already we’re seeing the results in the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund revamp. This budget accounts for an ongoing commitment to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Once again, my NDP colleagues across the way will have an extraordinary opportunity to stand with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, to focus on the opportunities and support this important bill as we build Ontario and as we build, importantly, for the purposes of my representation, northern Ontario.

Thank you for this opportunity.

Thank you to the member for her always passionate advocacy for the beautiful riding of Scarborough–Guildwood.

We’ve heard over and over again from the government side that the Liberals have done such a terrible job, even though they earned the trust of the people of Ontario for four consecutive mandates.

While, of course, no government can brag of having a perfect record, I want to ask the member: What are the policies or the initiatives from the previous Liberal governments that you are most proud of—and what policies the current government is actually able to build on?

Thank you, Speaker. I appreciate that.

It’s an honour to rise in the Legislature today to announce another important investment in Sarnia–Lambton by the government of Ontario. Recently, I was pleased to share the good news with a number of different organizations in Sarnia–Lambton that our government is investing nearly $550,000 in five different community festivals through the 2022 Reconnect Ontario program.

The Bluewater Health Foundation Block Party, the South Western International Film Festival, the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, the Bluewater BorderFest Music Festival, and the Revelree Music Festival have all been selected by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport as local Sarnia–Lambton recipients of the Reconnect Ontario program grants that support entertainment and jobs in the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors.

In total, your Ontario government is investing more than $48 million across this great province through the Reconnect Ontario program to help create amazing staycation experiences and boost local economic growth.

By investing more than $500,000 in Sarnia–Lambton, in these festivals and events, our government is delivering much-needed support for local businesses in our community as it continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic. This is great news from the government of Ontario—to ensure that Ontario is making a positive difference in my community.

Unfortunately, there is no further time for questions and comments.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Thank you, Speaker. It’s great to see you in the chair this morning.

I’m happy to rise in the House today to showcase both a government of Ontario program and a happy recipient in my riding of Brantford–Brant. Through the great work of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Reconnect Ontario 2022 program is making an investment of more than $48 million. This program helps festival and event organizers carry out events that encourage people to travel, participate and rediscover the beauty and diversity of all that Ontario communities have to offer.

I was so pleased that the Paris Agricultural Society was successful in their application and that they were awarded $105,000 from this program a few weeks ago. The fair is constantly changing as the agricultural sector evolves, but it never strays from the commitment of over 160 years to bring entertainment and agricultural education to the community.

Agriculture is the single biggest economic sector in Brantford–Brant, and this festival funding for the great folks of the Paris Agricultural Society cannot come at a better time. Learning about agriculture, having fun, and speaking with the men and women who grow the food that is on our dining room tables day in and day out is partly what the Reconnect Ontario program is all about.

Congratulations to the Paris Agricultural Society. And between September 1 and 5, see you all at the Paris fair this year.

Today is the start of the 138th Providence Bay Agricultural Fair. This is a mainstay of Manitoulin Island that brings families from across the province for fun and entertainment.

However, there are concerns going into fair weekend this year, as Highway 542 and Highway 551 leading to Providence Bay remain in a state of disrepair. I was travelling on these highways last weekend, and I can understand why people on Manitoulin Island are frustrated with the government’s quick-fix solutions. Roads are being left in conditions where the pulverizing of the old surface is leaving large chunks of material, causing dangerous driving conditions and damage to windshields, shock absorbers and tires. This has an effect on the cycling and cyclist community as well. This level of work and road resurfacing would not be accepted in the Muskokas. Then why shove it to Manitoulin?

This government needs to step up to the plate and ensure that residents and visitors alike can safely travel on Manitoulin highways.

Speaker, Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world. So I say, on behalf of all Haweaters, do them once, do them right, and pave our highways properly.

The arts, culture and entertainment industries are crucial in every community. They enhance our lives. They attract tourism, boost economic growth and preserve our culture and our heritage.

Earlier this year, I was privileged to witness an incredible preservation of our community heritage and growth of the arts and entertainment in my riding of Sault Ste. Marie, through an investment of $500,000, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, into a space known as the Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music. The Loft is located in the attic of a building that over 100 years ago housed the offices of the historic Sault Ste. Marie Pulp and Paper Co. Although the paper mill was, unfortunately, closed in 2012, the site has been completely transformed over the last decade into a community hub. The Loft is now a huge part of that transformation. A dusty and forgotten storage area has been converted into a warm, beautiful, inviting performance venue, while preserving the heritage of a national historic site.

The Loft hosts a state-of-the-art recording studio with some of the best equipment available in the world, and it is connected to a live performance hall in the machine shop next door. This incredible innovation allows for live performances to be captured with the absolute best in sound and video capabilities. The unique possibilities of this one-stop shop for performance and recording is unparalleled.

I am so excited to see what opportunities the team at the Loft can continue to bring to the arts and entertainment industry in Sault Ste. Marie.

As of this moment, the North York General Foundation Radiothon, in partnership with A1 Chinese Radio, is holding an annual major outreach event to raise funds for a landmark new seniors’ care home at North York General Hospital. Among the first designed using insights from the pandemic, the home will be fully integrated with the hospital to provide residents with full access to emergency and specialty services. To better serve the seniors from different cultural backgrounds, the new home will be offering culturally diverse programming, resources and food.

The government is not only adding beds; it is creating long-term-care spaces for seniors in modern, safe and comfortable surroundings where they will feel truly valued and at home.

Speaker, I want to thank North York General Hospital and its leadership team for their commitment to provide the best care and experience for our community. I also want to thank all those involved in this great event. It is your participation that made Ontario a better place that we are all proud of.

Speaker, I’d first like to congratulate you on your re-election and to congratulate all our colleagues—both new and returning, on both sides of the aisle—on being elected to this House.

I’m honoured to be back for another term, representing the people of Mississauga–Lakeshore.

I’m proud of all the progress we’ve made over the last four years, especially in south Mississauga. That includes a multi-billion dollar project to build the largest and most advanced hospital in Canadian history. It includes 1,152 new long-term-care beds, more than any other riding in this province, and the first residential hospice in Mississauga. It includes the new $5-billion Hazel McCallion Line and a new rapid transit corridor along Lakeshore that will support the Lakeview Village and Brightwater communities along the lakefront. We’ve come a long way, and last week the throne speech laid out a plan to ensure the progress continues.

Earlier this week, I joined delegations from Mississauga and the region of Peel at the AMO policy conference in Ottawa, meeting with ministers, focusing on the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, our shared infrastructure priorities, and fixing the housing supply crisis.

I look forward to working together with municipal partners and with all members here to deliver positive results for the people of Ontario over the next four years.

I am proud to join this 43rd Parliament, re-elected for a third term to serve Oshawa. It is an honour and a privilege to come here and stand in my place on behalf of constituents, families and workers across my riding. I’m appreciative of the trust and hope that I bring with me from my community.

Thank you to my staff, who have been working these past eight years to support constituents with compassion and care. The load is heavy, and none of us would be able to do this work without our team.

To the volunteers who spoke to voters, knocked on thousands of doors, raised money and committed their time and heart to our bright, positive, motivating campaign: Thank you.

To my core campaign team, CFO, manager and volunteer coordinators, who put their lives on hold to work tirelessly during the election: Thank you.

To my family, friends and loved ones: I love you, and I appreciate you.

And, Speaker, I am blessed to still have my little grandma in my life. She’s 101 years old and was very proud to vote for her granddaughter.

Applause.

Speaker, all of us in this room heard sincere and heartfelt concerns during the election. We’re still hearing from distraught families and workers—letters and calls from real folks concerned about collapsing health care systems; public education; a lack of safe, affordable and available housing; rising poverty; and the terrible suffering of so many without the addictions and mental health supports they seek. We have vital and important work to do on behalf of real people who have trusted us to listen and serve them well.

I will continue to serve sincerely and be the strong voice I have now three times been elected to be.

Thank you, Oshawa.