Back to the Premier—but before I ask my next question, maybe, out of respect for our veterans, the Minister of Education should put a poppy on. Everybody else in the House has one on.

While their charter rights are ignored by this government, and they hold back $2.1 billion in spending, we continue to hear from education workers that are struggling. Our office spoke this week to Jennifer, an educational assistant with over 20 years on the job. She’s never seen it so bad. Schools do not have the EA supply staff they need. Staff are facing rising violence in our schools. They can’t hold on to staff due to low wages. There are serious health and safety concerns.

Does the Premier think that trampling on the Charter of Rights and refusing to invest in our education system is going to fix the crisis we have in our schools? Premier, answer the question.

The government of Ontario has a responsibility to parents and students. This is a sacred trust. That responsibility includes the guarantee of top-quality education for our children and placing the most qualified teachers in front of our students.

We’ve heard many times about the need for students to remain in class and what students will learn in these classes. However, the individuals teaching these classes matter just as much as a subject’s content. From principals and vice-principals to math, art, music and science teachers, and the many more types of educators we have in this province, we need the most qualified individuals at the front of the classroom.

Speaker, to the Minister of Education: What has our government done to ensure the right educator is in front of our children?

In the last year, young educators and veteran educators across my riding have expressed their delight in this government’s revoking of regulation 274. They are grateful that our government recognized and provided a solution to the previous hiring practices that neither rewarded hard work nor gave the best chance of having the best possible educator in front of our children.

As our province’s population grows, our government must focus on the future to ensure we have enough educators in places experiencing that growth. Can the Minister of Education please explain how revoking regulation 274 encourages teacher mobility?

To reply, the Minister of Education.

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Ms. Fife was escorted from the chamber.

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Mr. Gates was escorted from the chamber.

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Ms. Karpoche was escorted from the chamber.

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Mrs. Gretzky was escorted from the chamber.

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Member for Ottawa Centre, come to order. If you persist, you will be named.

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Mr. Harden was escorted from the chamber.

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MPP Vaugeois was escorted from the chamber.

Minister of Education.

Supplementary question.

We have been clear: We believe children should be in the classroom. They have to be in school every day, after two years of disruption and the strikes that preceded it just a few years ago.

We brought forth a reasonable, fair offer to the union: 10% over four years, maintaining benefits and pensions and sick leave, which most people in this economy do not have. Even with that said, we told the union, “Rescind this strike on Friday that impacts every single—

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Mr. Speaker, it was over a decade ago that the former Liberal government consented in a union negotiation to a regressive regulation called O. Reg. 274, a regulation that permitted exclusive hiring and promotion in Ontario based on seniority—

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Interruption.

We believe new educators, young educators and those with the qualifications should triumph in hiring, not someone who’s simply been in the union the longest. This is about quality. This is about ensuring the best staff member could inspire a child. That’s why we removed this regulation, which even the former Liberal Premier agreed went too far. The Ontario Principals’ Council said they supported it, parents support it, and the government will continue to do everything possible to enshrine quality in the schools of this province.

My question is to the Minister of Education.

My office has been flooded with calls and emails from workers and parents alike outraged that this government seeks to use the “notwithstanding” clause to violate the labour rights of education workers. I heard from Linda in Welland. She has been an administrative clerk for 10 years, and in that time, has seen only a $2 wage increase. When you factor in inflation over that time, she suffered a 10.7% wage cut. Linda says, “The minister has no concept of the work we do. Come and see what we do in our schools. Spend one day with me.”

Can the minister tell Linda why this government continues to forge ahead with legislation that disrespects her work, tramples on her rights and pushes her further into poverty?

Can the minister tell Ella Marie and her colleagues, most of them women, how they are supposed to live on wages that don’t cover the bills and an insulting pay increase that plunges them further into poverty, and why is this Premier acting like a dictator and a thug?

Supplementary question?

Mr. Burch, you are named. You will leave the chamber for the day.

Mr. Burch was escorted from the chamber.

Interjection.

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Mr. Kernaghan was escorted from the chamber.

People fought and died for our human rights. Shame on all of you.

I want to echo the member opposite’s sentiment of gratitude to the people who work in our schools. That’s why we’ve hired 7,000 since we came to office. It’s why in this proposal we’re going to hire 1,800 more. We’re going to increase their wages every single year—2.5% every single year, 10 points over four years. We’re going to maintain their pension and their benefits and their sick leave program of 131 days. That is a demonstration of commitment to the workers.

We believe children in this province should be in school. That should not be a position which we disagree with. The Premier asked a simple question: Will you vote for a bill that ensures stability for the kids we all represent in this province?

I know that, for many of these workers, they want to be with their kids. That’s why I’m urging the leadership of the union to withdraw this strike that will impact that member, the children in his riding and all of our ridings.

Two million kids will be out of class Friday because the union has decided alone to proceed with a strike that no one wants or should accept. These kids should be in school. They’ve been through the incredible difficulty of pandemic disruptions and strikes that preceded it.

At what point does a government say, “Enough”? These kids deserve to be in school. They have rights too, and we will stand up to ensure stability for every single child in this province, Speaker.

When we were elected, our government made a commitment to support the province’s regional manufacturing economies, and in 2019 we delivered by launching a $100-million Regional Development Program.

To date, we’ve attracted $716 million in investments and 1,300 jobs in southwestern, southeastern and rural Ontario through that program. We were there with the member in Essex recently at MC3 Manufacturing and at another company, Idol Core. These two companies are investing $11 million in creating 29 well-paying manufacturing jobs with a total investment of $1 million from the province.

Speaker, this is how we’re supporting economic growth and those skilled workers in communities like Essex, because these companies are showing the world that Ontario is open for business.

In fact, costs have been lowered by $7 billion every year. This is attracting record numbers of investments and entrepreneurs to southwestern Ontario.

In Essex, our automotive program attracted over $500,000 in investments from Industrial Fastener, B&B Tool and Mould, and Windsor Industrial Services.

And with a further $631,000 invested in the Small Business Enterprise Centre there, their entrepreneurs have all the tools they need to start and grow their own businesses—and another $182,500 for their Summer Company. That helps students and young entrepreneurs start their businesses because, Speaker, this is how our government is driving growth in Essex.

Ma question s’adresse au premier ministre.

Debbie Premo, une gardienne à la retraite, a appelé mon bureau hier. Son époux, Bill, travaille comme concierge pour le conseil scolaire du district d’Algoma. À plus de 60 ans, Debbie m’a dit que maintenant, à sa retraite, elle envisageait de retourner au travail parce qu’elle n’était pas certaine qu’ils pouvaient garder leur maison avec le seul salaire de son mari en tant que concierge.

Elle me dit : « Mon mari travaille toujours et pourrait prendre sa retraite, mais en raison des salaires, il travaillera toujours, jusqu’à ce qu’il ne puisse plus. »

Tout ce que Debbie et son mari veulent est qu’il puisse prendre sa retraite confortablement après plus de 35 ans de travail.

Pourquoi le premier ministre pense-t-il que Debbie et Bill ne méritent pas une qualité de vie respectable?

Through you, Speaker, to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development: The skilled trades are vital for the communities in my riding of Sarnia–Lambton and across Ontario. Right now, we have a shortage of skilled tradespeople across this province. We need their highly valued and specialized skills to continue to build this province—and my community, of course. Every unfilled job in the skilled trades represents unmet economic potential. Our government needs to take further action now to address the skilled trades shortage.

What is our government doing in response to the skilled trades shortage in Ontario?

While our government is making gains to help prepare young people for in-demand careers, there’s still more we can do. Many local employers have job vacancies and work opportunities that must be filled.

As part of the skilled trades shortage, there’s still a prevailing stereotype that these jobs are only for men.

My question is once again to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development: How is our government showing leadership to increase female participation in the skilled trades?

My question is to the Premier. I have been hearing from Scarborough Southwest constituents—and constituents across Scarborough, actually—who have, non-stop, for the past two days, called and emailed us with stories. And I can assure this Premier and this government that it was not just education workers or union bosses, as they would like to claim or point fingers at to blame.

In fact, it’s parents like Cristina, who is livid with this government’s blatant disregard to protect workers and ensure that her child has the quality support that the child needs in the classroom. It’s parents like Rachel, who is a parent, a volunteer and an educational assistant. It’s parents like Judy, who is a grandma to a kindergarten student and who volunteers at a food bank; she herself has seen education workers who come to those food banks because they do not make enough.

My question is simple: Why is this government and why is this minister ignoring the voices of these parents and so many others across this province?

Supplementary?

Mr. Bourgouin was escorted from the chamber.

Interjections.

Interjections.

Mrs. Stevens was escorted from the chamber.

It’s wrong; it’s shameful.

Ontario has wielded the “notwithstanding” clause only three times in history but all by this government. In 2018, the Conservative government changed Toronto city council districts right in the middle of an election. In 2021, this Conservative government overrode a judge who said that their own witness admitted there was no reason for extending the restriction period for third-party political ads. And now, this Conservative government is cutting inflation-adjusted, real wages for education sector workers struggling with the cost of living. This is a sorry pattern. It’s an abuse. Section 33 of our charter, the “notwithstanding” clause, is being wielded as a sledgehammer to take care of their problems.

To the Premier, through you, Mr. Speaker: Is Bill 28 just the start? Are you planning to trample rights to dispose of other tough issues?

Many of these education workers are the ones most struggling with cost of living, given today’s inflation. Will the Premier accept that it’s wrong to smash our charter rights instead of using arbitration to settle a wage dispute with the people who keep our schools open, and will he withdraw Bill 28?

Voici l’histoire d’une commettante, Stéphanie, une mère célibataire avec deux jeunes enfants, qui a travaillé comme aide-enseignante. Voici les coûts de besoins de base, par mois, pour survivre—pas de surplus :

—le loyer, 1 200 piastres;

—le chauffage, 230 $;

—les « groceries », 800 $;

—le câble et le téléphone, 250 $;

—l’électricité, 75 $;

—le paiement de l’auto, 300 $; et

—l’assurance, 150 $.

Pour un total de 3 500 $ par mois. Le salaire : 2 800 $, un déficit de mille dollars.

Stéphanie a dû faire des choix difficiles pour sa petite famille, pour survivre. Stéphanie a dû quitter son emploi qu’elle aimait, pour lequel Stéphanie avait étudié, d’aide-enseignante.

Alors, ma question est simple : monsieur le Premier Ministre, quand allez-vous arrêter de mentir à la population, aller vous asseoir à la table des négociations et négocier une convention, ce qui est supposé de se faire avec les droits des travailleurs?

We’ve been abundantly clear: We would have preferred a voluntary option. It was our government that got a voluntary agreement with every education union just two and a half years ago.

Mr. Speaker, when the union on Sunday announces unilaterally that they will strike on Friday, what are the options before a government other than introducing legislation to avert a strike and deliver stability for children? If the Liberals’ and New Democrats’ position is to hope for the best with a deal, and if the union does not withdraw a strike, then we’re putting kids in a perilous position. Clearly, this union is going to strike; it was their intention all along.

We have an obligation to stand up for children, to keep them in school and to provide some stability for their families, for their working parents and for the kids of this province.

We are committed to investing more in public education—680 million more dollars this year, compared to last year. What we’re also committed to is standing up and keeping kids in the classroom.

I want to thank the member from Sarnia–Lambton for being such a champion in his community for people in the skilled trades. Our government is on a mission to get more young people into these careers.

Right now, in our province, nearly 400,000 jobs are going unfilled. By 2025, one in five new job openings will be in the skilled trades.

Our skilled trades system was neglected under the previous Liberal government. In fact, that’s why today the average age of an apprentice in our province is 29. But we’re changing that.

That is why, this fall, we’re hosting skilled trades career fairs for the first time in history, to encourage more students in grades 7 to 12 to enter the trades.

Mr. Speaker, as the Premier often says, when you have a job in the trades, you have a job for life. We agree.

Our Skills Development Fund is supporting nearly 400 projects that are helping nearly 400,000 people get the training they need to start rewarding careers close to home. One example is our $3-million investment in the Aecon Women in Trades program, which is training 350 women for jobs in construction, as welders, boilermakers, insulators and labourers.

We’re giving women a hand up to purpose-driven careers in the trades because it’s true that we need all hands on deck to build a stronger Ontario.

Ma question est pour le premier ministre.

We are joined today by members of OSSTF and OPSEU, including medical lab technologists, teachers, social workers, educational assistants, early childhood educators and many other essential workers. They are calling for immediate action to respect all of those public workers.

Premier, will you listen to those professionals and other unionized public sector workers and withdraw Bill 28 and go back to the bargaining table with CUPE?