Thank you to the member for asking such an important question. Our government recognizes that addressing labour shortages head-on starts with post-secondary education. That is why we continue to support and promote our Ontario colleges skilled trades and apprenticeship programs across the province.

To further enhance opportunities for college students to enter the workforce with job-ready skills, our government expanded the degrees that colleges can offer to now include new three-year degrees and more four-year degrees. Our government also invested over $60 million in funding to support Ontario’s first micro-credentials strategy and made them OSAP eligible, to help workers from all backgrounds upgrade their skills. All these measures were unsupported by the Liberals and NDP.

As Ontario faces a growing labour shortage in the skilled trades, we are making the necessary adjustments for students to enter skilled trades programs because, Speaker, when you have a job in a trade, you have a job for life.

Speaker, that’s why events like Jill of All Trades, hosted at Centennial College, are so important. I am excited to be attending this event tomorrow for the second year in a row with my colleagues. These events provide opportunities for high school girls to experience rewarding career options in the trades and teaches them that the skilled trades are a promising option for them.

Speaker, it’s projected that one in five new job openings in Toronto is likely to be the skilled trades sector by 2025. That is why I am proud that our government is giving women and all students the flexible access they need to pursue innovative training that leads to rewarding careers.

Supplementary question.

While the member opposite will insert himself into clinical decisions, I will not. Having said that, I have and often communicate with and meet with air Ornge paramedics, who are truly world-class.

One of the reasons that we have invested in a Learn and Stay program that includes paramedics in northern Ontario is exactly because we have a plan, and it is working. We now have more paramedics being trained in northern Ontario who will then, in exchange for tuition and books being covered by the province of Ontario, practise in those areas that need a higher level of service.

We will make the investments. The member opposite and their party will continue to vote against those investments, but we’re getting the job done.

Hear, hear.

Thank you, once again, to my colleague from Whitby for his tireless advocacy for his community and transit.

Under the leadership of our Premier, our government continues to build on our commitment to improving transit experience for all Ontarians.

We’re making it easier to take transit by giving riders more ways to pay. After launching payment by credit and debit card as a pilot on the UP Express, we extended the option to pay by credit card through smartphones or smart watches to the entire GO Transit network as well, to communities like Brampton and Mississauga and the Oakville transit systems. We are further expanding new payment options to more transit agencies across the GTA, including payment by debit.

We are aligning our Presto system with leading transit practices from jurisdictions across the world. This is how our government will continue delivering—

Thank you for that excellent question. The member for Windsor–Tecumseh is doing a marvelous job advocating for not only the seniors but all the residents in his riding.

These fairs are incredible ways for our government to partner with the Older Adults Centres’ Association of Ontario. The OACAO brings together these local seniors’ events. These seniors fairs are ways for our seniors to come together to learn about the programs and services that are available close to home. I’ve been to a number of these fairs and seniors are so happy to be with other seniors.

I encourage all seniors to visit a centre this winter and enjoy some fun activities with your friends.

Speaker, there you have it. For the first time since I was elected in 2018, I heard it. The NDP finally recognize what we’ve known since 2018: We need men and women in the skilled trades in Ontario. I thank that member for the question and I will be happy to connect with that member off-line on specific challenges.

But I’m happy to say that skilled trades registration has been up 30% this year over last. Our Skills Development Fund, under the leadership of this Premier, is getting men and women into the trades like Phil, who I met up in Thunder Bay. It’s changed his life. And we’re not just doing it at union halls, we’re doing it through the youth apprenticeship training. Skilled trades for men and women in OYAP programs and skilled tradespeople of tomorrow is up. Indigenous youth is up, but it’s up against a sobering stat. The NDP and the opposition did nothing for youth through OYAP. The fund didn’t even exist—

But, Speaker, those young people who want a better future in the skilled trades know that this government will keep making those investments, supporting men and women in the trades, whether it be in a union hall, whether it be in a college, or whether it be in one of the new training centres we’re building thanks to this Premier. We’ve got their backs, Speaker. That member is all talk and no action.

Interjections.

My question is to the Premier. Speaker, 60 students are about to graduate from Conestoga College in Kitchener, ready to become licensed electricians. But they can’t start—

Interjections.

Speaker, Ontario needs skilled trade workers if we are to get desperately needed housing built in this province. What—

Interjections.

Speaker, I don’t get the rhetoric about skilled trades. We all know that it’s important to have skilled trades workers.

Here’s the situation, Speaker—the question is to the Premier. Electrician students at Conestoga College are desperate to write their C-of-Q. That means they’ll become electricians. But they can’t, Speaker. They can’t because Conestoga College doesn’t have any testing days. They reached out to the Ministry of Labour, the minister’s portfolio, to add at least one more testing day—at least one—to the regional office. One more day means that these 30 Kitchener students can start working as qualified journeypersons as quickly as possible. Your ministry told them that you don’t have enough staff. For a government that claims to be working for workers, it doesn’t seem like they are because everyone knows Ontario desperately needs tradespeople.

Why is the Conservative government not prepared for these tradespeople to take their final certification tests?

My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Many people living in my riding of Whitby and across the GTA rely on public transit as their primary form of travel. Their experience in using public transit should be convenient and efficient across the entire transit network. However, as the TTC works with other local transit authorities, including the GO transit, the fare system under different transit agencies is inconsistent. This leads to confusion and dissatisfaction. My constituents have been asking for a simpler way to pay their transit fare and it’s up to our government to come up with workable and common-sense solutions.

Can the minister please explain how our government is making it easier and more convenient to take transit across the greater Toronto area?

Supplementary question.

I apologize to the member for London West. She has the floor. Start the clock.

The supplementary question: the member from Sudbury.

Restart the clock. The next question.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to introduce Mr. Sunny Gill, the festival director, and Avi Grewal, the director for film and programming at IFFSA Toronto, the largest South Asian film festival in North America.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The member is absolutely right. Our government has prioritized affordability by putting more money back into the pockets of transit riders.

In contrast to the previous Liberal government, with its transit hikes for six straight years, our government has provided a reimbursement for applicable GO Transit riders. We have also eliminated double fares for many GO train riders in the GTA. For youth aged 13 to 19, we have expanded the Presto fare card discounts.

Speaker, unlike the Liberals and the NDP, our government is making transit more affordable and accessible for every rider across this province. That’s why we have also made a record and historic investment: $70 billion over the next 10 years.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to—

Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé.

Ontario is facing a health human resources crisis, whether we look at emergency room closures, at the 2.2 million Ontarians who don’t have access to primary care or at the long wait-list for surgery.

Does the minister believe that nursing agencies are part of the solutions to Ontario’s health human resources crisis?

Back to the minister: It’s great to see how our government is providing transit riders with more choices to make it easier to travel. However, it’s essential that our government continues to remove barriers to ridership and make life more affordable. Life is already expensive for the hard-working individuals and families across our great province. For many of them, transit fares add on to the financial burdens that they’re already experiencing.

The previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, failed the people of Ontario when it came to addressing important transit issues. Speaker, the people of Ontario deserve better. Can the minister please explain how our government is offering Ontarians cost-effective ways to travel?

Speaker, I’m not sure if the member opposite has read the news article that says, “Ontario had the highest percentage of people with a regular health care provider at 90.6%, suggesting better health care accessibility.” That, of course, came out of Health Matrix today.

We can do more and we are doing more, whether it is directing the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and the College of Nurses of Ontario to quickly expedite, review and ultimately license nurses and doctors who are internationally trained and want to practise in the province of Ontario, or whether, of course, it is expanding the number of residency positions that are available in every single Ontario health care system schooling. We have made those investments; we continue to make those investments.

We have a plan and it is working, and I wish the member opposite would share some of that with her colleagues so that when these investments come forward in fall economic statements or budgets, you actually support those investments instead of—

We are seeing individuals who want to practise, who want to train, who want to work in the province of Ontario continuously adding to our health human resources, whether it’s in our education, through our colleges and universities, or a higher percentage of individuals, internationally trained, who are actually practising in the province of Ontario.

I have no intention of removing a tool that has been a very important tool for hospitals, for long-term care and for home and community care to make sure that they have the staff that they need to appropriately serve the people of Ontario.

Point of order, Mr. Speaker: Just midway through question period, my uncle Frank and his amazing partner, Virginia, joined us here from BC. My uncle is a wonderful language instructor and an actor, and I want to welcome him to the worst theatre in the city of Toronto.

Thank you. The supplementary question.

The Minister of Education has a point of order.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1137 to 1142.

On October 18, 2023, Mr. Calandra moved government notice of motion number 19, relating to the censure of the member for Hamilton Centre. Mr. Jones, Chatham-Kent–Leamington, moved an amendment to the motion. Mr. McCarthy moved an amendment to the amendment to the motion.

On October 23, 2023, Mr. Jordan moved that the question be now put.

All those in favour of Mr. Jordan’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

I am now required to put the question on the main motion to the House. Mr. Calandra has moved government notice of motion number 19 relating to the censure of the member for Hamilton Centre. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard some noes.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.” All those opposed will please say “nay.” In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1147 to 1152.

On October 18, 2023, Mr. Calanda moved government notice of motion number 19, relating to the censure of the member for Hamilton Centre.

All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Motion agreed to.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1155 to 1300.

After taking some time to understand the members’ comments and the procedural authorities, I am prepared to rule on this matter.

The crux of the argument made by the deputy government House leader is that the motion is out of order on the grounds that it violates the sub judice convention as well as standing order 25(g), which provides that a member shall be called to order by the Speaker if he or she:

“(g) Refers to any matter that is the subject of a proceeding,

“(i) that is pending in a court or before a judge for judicial determination; or

“(ii) that is before any quasi-judicial body constituted by the House or by or under the authority of an Act of the Legislature,

“where it is shown to the satisfaction of the Speaker that further reference would create a real and substantial danger of prejudice to the proceeding.”

In brief, this is a restriction on the part of the House to refrain from discussing certain matters that are before a judicial or quasi-judicial body. In other words, it is a self-imposed restriction that the Legislative Assembly places upon itself so as to avoid prejudice to a judicial case. At its core is the principle that the separation between legislative and judicial bodies is to be respected. It applies to statements, debate and question period, and as the member correctly points out, it has also been applied to the text of motions.

The text of the opposition day motion includes a preamble that raises a number of questions about various government actions and outstanding inquiries into those actions that the member suggests are being conducted. The motion includes a statement that the Premier “has admitted that he regularly uses his personal phone to conduct government business and those communications might be relevant to these inquiries....” The motion culminates in a proposed call on the Premier to “cease his access-to-information appeal and disclose the contents of his personal phone and email accounts to the Information and Privacy Commissioner.”

The deputy government House leader argues that this is a reference to a request for information made to the government which was denied and is currently being appealed in accordance with the Ontario access-to-information regime. Such appeals are made through the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The deputy government House leader identifies the Information and Privacy Commissioner as a quasi-judicial body—an assertion with which I agree—and correctly observes that standing order 25(g) is applicable to matters which are the subject of proceedings before any quasi-judicial body.

I have taken some time to review our relevant body of precedents and to assess the text of the motion in question. The question I must consider is whether a debate and subsequent House decision on the motion would create a real and substantial danger to a proceeding.

In his submission, the deputy government House leader noted that the request for information and subsequent appeal were made by Global News, while the motion standing in the name of the leader of the official opposition “calls on the Premier to cease his access-to-information appeal....” It is unclear to me at present whether the motion is referring to the appeal described by the deputy government House leader, but it is not the role of the Speaker to make this determination.

In any case, I am not satisfied that the House simply calling upon the Premier to withdraw an appeal would create a real and substantial danger of prejudice to the quasi-judicial proceeding.

In a statement made on May 8, 2008, Speaker Peters quoted a 1976 report by a special committee of the Canadian House of Commons which was set up to review the rights and immunities of members. The committee considered the sub judice convention and recommended that, “When there is doubt in the mind of the Chair, a presumption should exist in favour of allowing debate and against the application of the convention.”

Consequently, I find that the motion is in order and that debate can proceed this afternoon.

I want to thank the members for their submissions.

The ayes are 63; the nays are 22.