Good morning, Speaker. Happy International Women’s Day.

Another day, another report showing this government’s complete failure to address Ontario’s health care needs. At nearly every turn, this government chose not to help Ontarians when they needed it most.

Today’s report from the independent Financial Accountability Office shows that this government could have kept people—107,000 people—from waiting in pain. They could have protected our loved ones in long-term care. They could have kept emergency rooms open for when people so desperately needed them—and, Speaker, there were 145 unplanned emergency room closures last year. This government chose not to.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will the Premier admit his government underfunded health care as an excuse to sell it off?

Interjections.

So my question to the Premier, again, is, will this government abandon their plans to divert public dollars away from our hospitals and into the hands of private shareholders?

The Conservatives can say that nobody is going to have to pay for health care. They’re praying that their plan is going to work, but this report tells a different story—and they have a terrible track record, Speaker. Why should anybody trust them? Because after all, this is the same government that said they’d never carve up the greenbelt. They said there was going to be no crisis in health care and that they’d never privatize it.

The people of this province deserve a government they can trust to put their needs first. The facts in this report speak for themselves. Speaker, to the Premier, will this government put patients ahead of profits?

Interjections.

I want to wish everyone in this House, especially the women, a happy International Women’s Day again, and I am reflecting on how far women and gender-diverse people have come and how far we have to go.

Nurses and personal support workers have been lauded by the government for their heroism. They hold up our health care system, they take care of our loved ones and they’re predominantly women. But this government is fighting them in court over the right to suppress their wages—shameful.

My question to the Premier is, will he drop his wasteful appeal of his government’s legislated wage gap, Bill 124?

I want to absolutely thank the incredible work that our health care heroes are doing across this province and all the work that they have done throughout this pandemic into today. That is why, as a province, we launched the largest health human resources recruiting and training program ever by any government, Mr. Speaker. That is why nearly 12,000 nurses were registered last year, a record high for any province, for this province. And that is why we have continued to make historic investments into ensuring that our health care human resources, our health care workers are supported by this government.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, the members opposite have voted against each and every single one of those measures. We will continue to do whatever we can to support health care workers across Ontario.

I feel compelled to remind members of standing order 33(a), and I’ll read it to you:

“Members’ Statements

“Length

“33(a) A member, other than a leader of a recognized party in the House or a minister of the crown, may be recognized to make a statement for not more than one and a half minutes”—one and a half minutes is 90 seconds.

I’m not singling out any one member or any party, it’s just that we’ve gotten to the point where the members’ statements are considerably longer and I’m going to have to start enforcing that standing order, if need be. I hesitate to interrupt members mid-thought or mid-sentence, but I think we have to rein that in. I just want to inform the members of that fact. Thank you.

Minister of Health.

Supplementary?

The final supplementary?

The associate minister, once again, to reply.

I guess that’s a no, Speaker. It’s very unfortunate. But it’s not just nurses and personal support workers, it’s education workers in the province who have faced a similar sexist fight with this government. Some 70% of CUPE’s education workers are women, and more than half of them are working additional jobs to make ends meet. Instead of giving them a fair wage, this government used the “notwithstanding” clause against them like a sledgehammer, until they were forced to learn an important lesson, I think, for this government: Women will not back down. We will not back down.

My question to the Premier is, will he stop holding down women’s wages?

Again, to the Premier, will you stop fighting women who just want what’s fair?

Interjections.

Speaker, access to contraception is health care and offering anything other than publicly funded access is not good enough. While other provinces across the country are leading that change, lack of action from our government will make Ontario fall behind.

We know the reality. Study after study points out that existing coverage for contraceptives leaves low-income individuals, especially women from marginalized communities, behind. While this change comes at a small cost to the province, the difference it will make in the lives of those impacted will be immense.

Today is International Women’s Day and all of us in the House are focused on the important issue of gender equity. My question is, will this government commit to ensuring universal access to contraception in the upcoming budget?

I look forward to reviewing the member opposite’s motion. We obviously are looking closely at what British Columbia has proposed. Look, I’m a firm believer that when there are good ideas, when there are innovative ideas, I am always willing to talk and have those conversations to see if and when it is appropriate.

As the member opposite would know, many private members’ bills from across all parties have been passed in the last session and in this session. We’ll continue to see whether there is validity and where we can work together on important issues like women’s reproductive health.

Look, our record proves very aggressively that when there are new opportunities, like the cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta—it was actually the province of Ontario that was the first to put it on the drug formulary. Luxturna is another drug that as recently as last week we have ensured that a very limited number for very important treatment is available for individuals who are suffering from blindness.

We are there with patients to make sure that as innovations happen, we can move forward on changes that are impacting people’s health and people’s lives. We are absolutely going to be there.

We are getting more women into jobs, more than ever before. We are investing heavily in employment training and support so women have access to in-demand skills and opportunities. In fact, we’ve seen an increase just in December alone of gains for women in full-time employment of up to 63,000. So we are building Ontario, and women are at the forefront of that.

But, Mr. Speaker, I think what the members opposite may be failing to understand is that in order for women to have access to the support, to be in a healthy mindset to get jobs, maintain jobs, they need to feel safe. And women are not feeling safe, mainly because they don’t have a safe home to go to. We are working to build homes faster in Ontario.

Many women are staying in shelters longer, because they don’t have places to go. We’ve heard this in shelters across Ontario. I’ve been to Hastings, Oakville, Burlington—they’re saying the same thing. So, Mr. Speaker, if the members opposite really want to support women and put women’s safety and priority first, they’ll support Bill 23, our government’s—

We’re also breaking barriers for women so that they feel free to enter male-dominated jobs—

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, wraparound supports, job training, entrepreneur supports—we’re making investments. Women are at the forefront of the post-pandemic economy, and we’re seeing women get into jobs more than ever before.

Thank you to the member from Brampton North for the important question. Commuters deserve nothing less than a transit system that will get them where they need to go every day. That’s why, in February, I was thrilled to announce that our government is investing over $379 million for public transit in 107 municipalities across Ontario.

What does this mean for the people of Brampton, Mr. Speaker? It means that we’re providing $16 million to support public transit in the city of Brampton alone. The funding can be used to extend service hours, buy new buses, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure for local public transit services, including Brampton Transit and Züm.

Our government is providing municipalities with the supports that they need to succeed. We’re investing in public transit across Ontario, including in the great city of Brampton.

My question is to the Premier. I have tabled a motion today that will have a great impact for people across this province. It is time that Ontario takes an important step towards gender and reproductive equality and commits to covering prescription contraceptive care under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. We need to guarantee access to contraceptive care at no cost for anyone who needs it. This will ensure better gender equality and lead to better health outcomes. It will lower barriers to access, enabling people to make better decisions about their health and family planning. It is my sincere hope that this government will support this motion today, on International Women’s Day.

To the Premier: Will the government follow British Columbia’s lead and introduce a no-cost prescription contraceptive policy for all residents in Ontario?

No, I don’t think it’s acceptable. I think that as we get diagnostic imaging and as we get diagnosis and information in community, we need to get those tests back quickly so that if and when there is further intervention that is necessary, that is available quickly.

We all understand—I’m sure the member opposite understands—that the faster that a person has access to treatment and testing, the faster that they can move forward on their diagnosis and treating of it. I have been working closely with our lab partners to make sure that they have a plan to ensure that those tests that are taking, frankly, too long to come back are expedited so that we can get appropriate care in Ontario.

My question is for the Premier. Every day, women in this province are expected to step up and fill a gap left by this government. A mother recently reached out to my office because she had to leave her job as a teacher to care for her child with autism. She was forced to switch careers, take on financial barriers and become a behavioural therapist so she could actually give her child the services that she could not get in Ontario.

A parent should be able to be a parent. They should not have to become the service provider that this government is not providing.

The Premier and his government seem to be okay with mothers having to step up and run their own program. Can the Premier tell us if this is the new expectation for mothers in Ontario?

Some 689,000 people in Ontario have eating disorders and they disproportionately impact women and girls. Sherri is one of them. Sherri has been waiting for a publicly funded adult in-patient bed since 2021. Why? Because there are only 20 publicly funded beds in Ontario. People who cannot afford to pay $30,000, $50,000, $60,000 for private care are dying on wait-lists. Last we spoke, she was still on a wait-list that was closed. I don’t want Sherri to die.

My question is to the Premier. Will this government increase adult ED beds, address the specialized staff shortage, make the temporary 14 pediatric beds permanent and create billing codes to ensure ED survivors and families aren’t paying out of pocket for the physical and mental health care they so desperately need?

My question is for the extraordinary Attorney General of Ontario. Ensuring our courts and justice system are up to date and modern is essential for a properly functioning justice system. Our government—and the Attorney General, in particular—has overseen a tremendous transformation in how courts function in Ontario. There are many modernization achievements.

Last week, our government announced the long-awaited opening of a new courthouse in downtown Toronto. The project has been in development for over nine years and replaces six justice buildings. Individuals are interested in how this new consolidated building will impact the delivery of judicial and court services.

Speaker, can the Attorney General please elaborate on how this new courthouse will provide improved justice services going forward?

Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government did little, really, to improve and modernize our court system, which was outdated, bureaucratic and, frankly, inconvenient. It is essential that our government provide leadership and implement a new strategy that brings Ontario’s justice system into the 21st century. Our government must focus on creating modern court services for Ontarians that work for them, especially in an increasingly digital and accessible world.

Speaker, could the Attorney General please explain how this new courthouse is accessible and better serves all Ontarians.

As the member notes, ensuring that people can get to work, home, to medical services when they need to is more than just a luxury, it’s an essential service. We’ve heard from municipalities that they need our continued support after the last few challenging years, and we’ve been there to help them every step of the way.

To further support municipalities like the city of Brampton, we’re providing a one-time additional top-up of $80 million included in this year’s funding through the gas tax program. This will allow Brampton to accommodate its growing population and its increasing ridership while supporting economic growth in the city.

With more people returning to public transit, now is the time to invest in this critical infrastructure. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’re getting it done.

Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health: Jane Wigmore, a retired OB/GYN nurse from Port Colborne, reached out to my office concerned about the unacceptable four-month wait for Pap test results. She said, “It is of the utmost importance for women to get their results as soon as possible because the chances of survival depend on early detection so that treatment for diseases like cancer can begin as soon as possible.”

Jane would like to know, is it acceptable to this minister that women in this province are waiting over four months for the results of a Pap test?

I want to thank the excellent member from Eglinton–Lawrence, and although I’m just the regular Attorney General, I’ll answer the question nonetheless.

By building, upgrading and modernizing our infrastructure, including the ways we deliver justice, we’re ensuring that Ontario is built to last, today and for the future. I’m honoured to talk about the new Toronto courthouse—a modern, accessible, state-of-the-art building. It brings together criminal courts from throughout Toronto, 73 judicial hearing rooms, modern technology that allows for virtual and hybrid hearings in every courtroom and upgraded security features throughout the building. It’s truly a courthouse of the future.

The new Toronto courthouse is designed to support victims and accommodate the unique needs of drug treatment, Gladue and youth and mental health courts.

Mr. Speaker, it was our government, it was this infrastructure minister, it was this Premier, that got the courthouse of the future built. I’m very proud to stand with my colleagues on this momentous occasion.

Whether it was tens of millions invested in virtual and hybrid hearings or the new Toronto courthouse, it has been our government delivering for this province through transformation of the justice system. The new Toronto courthouse is an embodiment of this strategy. We are harnessing the power of technology, accessibility and state-of-the art design. We are providing justice while housing essential social services and providing supports to protect victims. With the opening of the new Toronto courthouse, we are once again showing that Ontario will simply not let the justice system remain status quo. We are getting it done.

Supplementary?

The supplementary question: the member for Niagara Centre.

Thank you to the minister for her response. A little louder for those around: “the great city of Brampton.”

It is welcome news that our government is so significantly investing in public transit. As we know, Brampton is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. As more people turn to public transit, there is no disputing that now is the time to invest in this key infrastructure. The gas tax funding will help to ensure that communities have the resources they need to continue to deliver safe and reliable transit service. After 15 years of neglect from the previous Liberal government, backed by the NDP, it is essential now that all governments work collaboratively together to provide the quality of transit service that our communities so rightly deserve.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is working with our municipal partners in supporting effective public transit?