Thank you to the Minister of Health for that response, and I do hope that you will respond to the letter that I sent to you by hand on long COVID.

Anyway, back to the Premier: Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased, but Ontario seniors can’t find vaccines and boosters. People in Haliburton were told they would have access to shots by early October, but their local pharmacies say they haven’t received the doses. Did we learn nothing from the chaotic and inequitable distribution of vaccines in the early stages of the pandemic, courtesy of this Conservative government?

My question is back to the Premier. COVID-19 vaccines were promised by October. Why are seniors across this province still unable to access them?

Well, again, I’m going to respectfully say that if you have limited supply, you focus on where it’s going to make the biggest impact. That is what we have done. We absolutely are making it available in pharmacies; that rollout is actually happening by October 30.

It is exciting, in fact, that people are interested and engaged and want to get that vaccine as soon as possible. We are making sure that we have put in place all tools and all pathways to make sure that people get the flu shot, the vaccine, the RSV—whatever they want—and we are doing it through multiple channels, whether it is through our primary care partners, our pharmacy partners, and of course, our public health teams.

We’ll continue to do the work. If you want to talk to Health Canada about increasing the supply, I’d be happy to take it.

Look, what we had decided to do back in 2018 was to look at where the province of Ontario was, and thankfully the people of Ontario took a good look in that election. That’s why they reduced the Liberal Party from a majority government to a bunch of independents.

Why? Because they put obstacle after obstacle after obstacle in the way of the economy. What did that mean? Thousands of jobs were lost, thanks to the Liberals, supported by the NDP. It meant housing starts were nonexistent in the province of Ontario, thanks to the Liberals, supported by the NDP. It meant that our taxes were the highest in Canada, thanks to the Liberals, supported by the NDP; the highest level of red tape, thanks to the Liberals, supported by the NDP. We were the highest-taxed jurisdiction, the most indebted jurisdiction, and what do we have to show for the excesses of the 15 years of Liberal/NDP government? Nothing, Mr. Speaker—absolutely nothing.

And what do we have now? Some 700,000 people who have the dignity of a job, roads, transit, transportation, a better education system, a better health care system, more long-term care and the highest level of housing starts in over a decade.

So yes, it is about undoing things. It’s about undoing 15 years of Liberal mess across the province of Ontario. That is why we were elected not only once, but we were elected with an even bigger majority. Look around you: Progressive Conservatives everywhere, here and there, and all of us getting things done for the people of the province of Ontario; 700,000 jobs thanks to this Premier and this huge group of Progressive Conservatives working every day for the people of the province of Ontario. We won’t stop undoing the mess that you left behind, supported by this crew of radicals over there.

Interjections.

The supplementary question.

The next question.

Start the clock. The next question.

My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. The previous Liberal government, propped up by the NDP, drove jobs out of Ontario and failed to unlock our province’s full economic potential. Many of those jobs were in the manufacturing sector. Small businesses were also negatively impacted and endured hardships. The previous Liberal government could have helped northern, Indigenous and remote communities, but sadly they chose to ignore them, calling them a “no man’s land.”

Unlike other parts of the province, the north faces unique barriers to starting and growing businesses. Speaker, what is the government doing to support small business and economic development projects across northern Ontario?

Speaker, I’m asking the minister to please explain how our government is supporting and expanding opportunities for economic prosperity in northern communities.

I have a petition which is no stranger to this Legislature: “To Raise Social Assistance Rates.” I once again thank Dr. Sally Palmer for all of her hard work.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens” far “below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to survive at this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I wholeheartedly support this petition. I will affix my name to it and give it to page Joel to bring to the Clerk.

Speaker, unbelievable, isn’t it? The NDP support the Liberals when they do nothing for long-term care; they do absolutely nothing. We see the holes in the system throughout a difficult time of the pandemic, and then it’s this Premier, this government who comes around and says we’re finally going to invest into our seniors, not just with record capital and building beds but into improving the inspectorate—in fact, $72 million over three years to double the number of the inspectors to actually have one inspector for two every two homes in this province, Speaker.

But we go further. We say we’re not just going to have reactive inspections; we’re going to have proactive ones. We’re going to hit a goal of 2025 of having one proactive inspection per home per year. The numbers that the CBC article quotes are aligned with our framework of getting to that goal, Speaker.

Interjections.

Interjections.

Interjections.

Interjections.

My question is to the Premier. In October 2021, the Premier made a promise to the people of Ontario. The Premier promised he would double the number of long-term-care inspectors so we would have one inspector for every two homes in the province. But last week, CBC reported that although there are 624 long-term-care homes in the province, there are only 234 inspectors currently working. That means this government is 78 inspectors short.

Speaker, why did the Premier choose to break another promise to the people of Ontario and once again fail our seniors?

One thing we can always count on with this government is breaking promises. The Ombudsman revealed there were no long-term-care inspectors—zero—for seven weeks in the spring of 2020. Think about seniors who suffered in long-term care, and let’s talk about the number of seniors who had died in long-term care. Close to 6,000 seniors have died in long-term care. Think about the families that will never be the same again.

Speaker, how many more seniors need to die in long-term care before this government holds for-profit long-term care accountable and has the number of inspections that we need to protect our seniors every single day in the province of Ontario?

I thank the member for Carleton for that excellent question. The Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023, tabled for first reading yesterday, is the first initiation of a comprehensive reform to Ontario’s consumer protection laws in almost two decades. This government and our Premier strongly believe that Ontarians deserve to feel protected when spending their hard-earned dollars, and this legislation, if passed, is a testament to our government’s promise to always listen to the needs of Ontarians.

After years of insufficient attention from the Liberal Party, in 2019, our ministry embarked on a long and extensive consultation journey. We conducted a comprehensive review of existing legislation, gathering feedback from stakeholders, consumer groups, advocates, the legal community and everyday Ontarians. The reality is that Ontarians have long deserved consumer protections to be updated. We’re getting it done.

It is our government’s goal to protect Ontarians with common-sense policies that reduce red tape and make it easier for consumers and businesses alike, because when Ontario citizens feel secure in spending their hard-earned dollars, we can all focus on what matters most: a strong, vibrant economy.

My question is to the Premier. Paramedics in the Niagara region are facing a violence epidemic. Within seven months, there have been 56 incidents, which has added to staff attrition. No one should ever feel unsafe going into work.

Premier, paramedics should not be made to feel like second-class first responders. Will you commit to a provincial staffing strategy to address compensation, training and resources to ensure the safety of our paramedics and combat burnout?

Premier, you control the purse strings. Can we get your commitment today to scrutinize the critical situation of our paramedics in Ontario and ensure they receive the same level of resources as other first responders? They deserve nothing less.

Well, the one thing where I will agree with the member opposite is that there is no one in our health care system who should feel unsafe when they are doing a job and protecting the people of Ontario.

We have worked very closely with our paramedic chiefs and associations to make sure that we have resourced them appropriately. Of course, the member opposite knows we are a 50-50 partner with our municipal partners to make sure that we fund 50% of any expansion of the paramedic services in the province of Ontario. We will continue to do that, but I want to make it very clear that we do not tolerate violence in our health care system, including, of course, with our paramedics.

But I must say, I’m also incredibly proud of our government and our Premier when we announced a PTSI centre with Runnymede to ensure that our first responders—including our paramedics, who we know historically have had a higher rate of PTSI—have the supports they need with an expansion of that centre.

The ayes are 67; the nays are 33.

To respond, the Minister of Long-Term Care.

The supplementary question.

Interjections.

Start the clock.

The Minister of Long-Term Care has the floor.

Order. Order. The member for Carleton is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to ask her question. I would ask the House to come to order so we can start the clock again and resume question period.

Start the clock. Member for Carleton.

Deferred vote on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 135, An Act to amend the Connecting Care Act, 2019 with respect to home and community care services and health governance and to make related amendments to other Acts / Projet de loi 135, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2019 pour des soins interconnectés en ce qui concerne les services de soins à domicile et en milieu communautaire et la gouvernance de la santé et apportant des modifications connexes à d’autres lois.

The division bells rang from 1143 to 1148.

On October 16, 2023, Ms. Jones, Dufferin–Caledon, moved second reading of Bill 135.

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

Second reading agreed to.

There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1153 to 1500.

I’m proud to introduce the newest member of my office, Zuhair Aqeel, a placement student from TMU. Thanks for being here. Welcome.

This petition is entitled “Expand Ontario Seniors Dental Plan.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas seniors have to access the Ontario seniors dental plan through local public health units;

“Whereas the number of dentists registered with public health units to be covered under the Ontario seniors dental plan is low in northern Ontario;

“Whereas the small number of dentists registered with the Ontario seniors dental plan limits the capacity of public health units to serve their patients in northern Ontario; and

“Whereas the income threshold for seniors to be eligible for the Ontario seniors dental plan is unreasonably low—an annual net income of $22,200 or less for a single senior; a combined annual net income of $37,100 or less for a couple—thus creating a huge barrier for low-income seniors to access dental care;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“—to invest into community health centres, aboriginal health access centres, and public health units to build and expand dental suites and to hire more dentists; and

“—to facilitate the implementation of the federal dental care plan, which covers all seniors with income lower than $75,000, when it becomes law.”

I endorse this petition, and I will sign it and give it to Danté.

My petition is called “Housing for All.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas all Ontarians have the right to adequate housing;

“Whereas to ensure an adequate supply of housing, Ontario must build 1.5 million new market and non-market homes over the next decade; and

“Whereas the for-profit private market by itself will not, and cannot, deliver enough homes that are affordable and meet the needs of Ontarians for all incomes, ages, family sizes, abilities and cultures;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to implement a comprehensive housing plan that ensures the right of all Ontarians to adequate housing, including:

“—ending exclusionary zoning and enabling access to affordable and adequate housing options in all neighbourhoods;

“—stabilizing housing markets and stopping harmful speculation; establishing a strong public role in the funding, delivery, acquisition and protection of an adequate supply of affordable and non-market homes;

“—protecting tenants from rent gouging and displacement, and ensuring the inclusivity of growing neighbourhoods; and

“—focusing growth efficiently and sustainably within existing urban boundaries, while protecting irreplaceable farmland, wetlands, the greenbelt and other natural heritage from costly and unsustainable urban sprawl.”

I fully support this petition. I’ll sign it and pass it to page Beckett to deliver to the table.

I would like to thank the 1,073 people who signed this petition. It reads as follows:

“Save ‘the Spot’ Supervised Consumption Site....

“Whereas Sudbury’s overdose death rate is three times the rate of the rest of Ontario;

“Whereas an application was submitted to the government in 2021 for funding of a supervised consumption site in Sudbury called the Spot;

“Whereas the Spot is operated by Réseau Access Network with municipal funding that ends on December 31, 2023, the province must approve funding very soon, or the Spot will close putting many people at risk of death;

“Whereas in 2023 alone, the Spot had 1,000 visits, reversed all 17 on-site overdoses, provided drug-checking services and prevented many deaths;

They “petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Immediately approve funding for the supervised consumption site in Sudbury to save lives.”

I fully approve this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Philippe to bring it to the Clerk.

“Gas Prices....

“Whereas northern Ontario motorists continue to be subject to wild fluctuations in the price of gasoline; and

“Whereas the province could eliminate opportunistic price gouging and deliver fair, stable and predictable fuel prices; and

“Whereas five provinces and many US states already have some sort of gas price regulation; and

“Whereas jurisdictions with gas price regulation have seen an end to wild price fluctuations, a shrinking of price discrepancies between urban and rural communities and lower annualized gas prices;”

They “petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“Mandate the Ontario Energy Board to monitor the price of gasoline across Ontario in order to reduce price volatility and unfair regional price differences while encouraging competition.”

I fully support this petition. I will affix my name to it and ask Saniyah to bring it to the Clerk.

“Enact Anti-Scab Labour Law....

“Whereas strikes and lockouts are rare: on average, 97% of collective agreements are negotiated without work disruption; and

“Whereas anti-replacement workers laws have existed in Quebec since 1978, in British Columbia since 1993, and in Ontario under the NDP government, it was repealed by the Harris Conservative government;

“Whereas anti-scab legislation has reduced the length and divisiveness of labour disputes; and

“Whereas the use of scab labour during a strike or lockout is damaging to the social fabric of a community in the short and long term, as well as, the well-being of its residents;”

They “petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“To pass the anti-scab labour bill to ban the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout.”

I support this petition. I will affix my name to it and ask Saniyah to bring it to the Clerk.

“Make PSW a Career....

“Whereas there has been a shortage of personal support workers (PSWs) in long-term care and home care in Ontario for many years;

“Whereas Ontario’s personal support workers are overworked, underpaid and underappreciated, leading to many of them leaving the profession;

“Whereas the lack of PSWs has created a crisis in LTC, a broken home care system, and poor-quality care for LTC home residents and home care clients;”

They “petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“Tell Premier Ford to act now to make PSW jobs a career, with” permanent, “full-time employment, good wages, paid sick days, benefits, a pension plan and a manageable workload in order to respect the important work of PSWs and improve” the quality of “patient care.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask page Saniyah to bring it to the Clerk.

It’s fitting as we approach Remembrance Day week that I have the opportunity to speak on third reading of Bill 65, the Honouring Our Veterans Act, which amends the Remembrance Week Act, 2016.

I’d like to acknowledge the support of this proposed legislation by my caucus colleagues, the members of the official opposition, independent members and those who appeared before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs: the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 112 Whitby; Wounded Warriors Canada, including Steven Boychyn and Philip Ralph; Chris Leahy; from the town of Whitby, Deidre Newman; and Penelope Williams. Thank you all for your participation.

At its core, the nobility and the majesty of Remembrance Day can be found in the story of ordinary Ontarians who become extraordinary for the simplest ways and reasons. They loved their province and country so deeply, so profoundly, that they were willing to give their lives to keep it safe and free. The fallen we memorialize gave their last full measure of devotion, not so we might mourn them—though we do; not so that our province might honour their sacrifice—although it does. They gave their lives so that we might live ours; so that our sons and daughters might grow up to pursue their dreams; so that a wife might be able to live a long life, free and secure; so that a mother might raise her family in a province of peace and freedom.

Rightly, each year on Remembrance Day, we say thank you to all those who gave their lives for our country, for our freedom. It is when we pay tribute to the names of those etched on the cenotaphs in towns like Whitby, cities and hamlets situated in the region of Durham and other parts of Ontario, so generations who follow remember the price of their duty.

Speaker, our hearts also go out on Remembrance Day to the families left behind: young mothers who raise their children alone, and mothers and fathers who face perhaps life’s greatest heartbreak: being told that their son or daughter has died in combat. It’s also when we honour those who served in conflicts past and current and have returned home to towns, villages and cities across our great province, their service complete.

As Ontarians, we have never looked for conflict, but we always rise to the occasion when asked to defend our ideals. Speaker, now more than ever, I think it’s important to listen to veterans, to hear their stories, to remember.

I regularly visit Whitby’s long-term-care and retirement homes at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as Remembrance Day, after the main ceremony at the cenotaph in the centre of the town of Whitby. It provides me with an opportunity to meet with veterans and, in some situations, sit at their bedsides and listen to their stories. I’m inspired not only by the bravery they showed all these years ago but how that bravery continues to shine in their eyes.

While the nature of war has changed over time, the values that drive our brave men and women in uniform remain constant: honour, courage, selflessness. Those values live in the hearts of everyday heroes who risked everything for us, men and women who now rest forever. My Uncle James is one of them, killed in a battle in France during World War I. Speaker, in addition to his name, the words on James’s dog tag were also those of scripture: Greater love has no other than this, than to lay down your life for your friends.

It is a debt, Speaker, we can never fully repay, but it’s a debt that we’ll never stop trying to fully repay: by remaining a province worthy of their sacrifice, by living our own lives the way the fallen live theirs, a testament that greater love has no other than this, than to lay down your life for your friends.

Speaker, Penelope Williams, who served with the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve’s 734 Communication Squadron and also as a member of the NATO Veterans Organization of Canada, region of Durham chapter, had this to say during her delegation to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs:

“The act of remembrance by honouring those who died serving their country through a two-minute silence in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is a powerful act of inclusion and recognition. The commitment of Canadians who died to preserve peace and security extends beyond our borders. Their efforts not only embody Canada’s commitment to international diplomacy, but they also demonstrate our commitment to humanity and justice.”

Our wars have won for us every hour we live in freedom, but our wars have taken from us the women and men and every hour of the lifetimes they had hoped to live. Again, that testament, that greater love, has no other than this, than to lay down your life for your friends.

God bless our veterans. God bless those who continue to serve. Lest we forget.

The MPP for Whitby.