On behalf of the Minister of Health, I wanted to welcome three groups today: the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences, the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Pathologists, and the group from Conceivable Dreams, who had a breakfast this morning. I didn’t get to meet many when I was there because I had to go quickly, but I met the most important people, which were the babies.

They’re on their way up, but I do want to welcome Keith Fleming, Saroj Gandhi and Kam Sandhu, my constituency staff. I just wanted to say—on behalf of all members of this House, I’d like to thank all of our constituency staff who serve our constituents with kindness, compassion and very often having to deal with very difficult situations. Thank you to all of our staff for everything you do to support MPPs. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Speaker. As you know, next week is Remembrance Week here in Ontario, which was made law by the efforts of MPP Jim Wilson. I was proud, with Cheri DiNovo, to co-sponsor that bill and for Jim to ask us.

All of us next week will be back in our communities at cenotaphs, Legions, churches and long-term-care homes, and we’ll all be remembering the sacrifices of people past and present for our freedom, for our democracy.

I got up this morning to iron my shirt and I found this little note that was written by my mother-in-law—not appropriate to today, but it was my mother-in-law and I always like to talk about her today, so it was a bit unusual. You see, my mother-in-law, Yvonne, had four brothers. They all fought in World War II. Three of them, Bill, Neil and Jim, all came home. Her brother Ansley didn’t. She was closest to him in age. She loved him, not just like a brother but a friend. He died at Dieppe in August 1942, on the beaches—actually, in the water.

My mother-in-law is such a great example of not forgetting, because for more than 70 years, she kept his picture. She kept his picture on her dresser. Every day, she looked at that picture—every day for more than 70 years. I guess this morning was a reminder not to forget that. Thankfully, she left that for me.

That’s what we have to try to do, even if we don’t have a picture: every day, remember the sacrifices of people who gave up everything—everything—so we can be here actually doing what we’re doing today.

I’m going to ask for the attention of the House.

As provided for by the Remembrance Week Act, 2016, the assembly will now pause and observe two minutes of silence in honour of those who died serving their country in wars and peacekeeping efforts.

This will be followed by an opportunity for members to make speeches, with five minutes allotted to the official opposition, five minutes allotted to the government, and five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group.

I will ask members to please rise.

The House observed two minutes’ silence.

I recognize the member for Ottawa South.

I’m honoured to rise today to pay tribute to veterans and first responders who have sacrificed so much to defend democracy and to keep us safe. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we gather to remember and honour those who selflessly serve our country.

The memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice continues to remind us of the stark reality of defending freedom and democracy. It is difficult to fathom the degree of courage demonstrated by those young Canadians who served in the World Wars, Korea, Afghanistan, peacekeeping and other missions.

Today, I recall the words of Guelph’s Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae that remind us that we must not break faith with those who fought and died for our freedoms. That is why we must not only pay tribute to veterans and their families, but we also must take the steps and the actions to provide them with the care and support they need and deserve.

So I say to veterans, first responders and their families, thank you, thank you, thank you for your service. We will continue to honour your sacrifice and the sacrifice of your comrades who did not come home. Speaker, on this day and every day, lest we forget.

I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to speak ahead of Remembrance Day.

There are now a few communities across my riding of Haldimand–Norfolk who have raised banners in memory of those who have served. This is to ensure year-long remembrance—a commitment we should all make.

Recently, I attended the unveiling of 94 banners for the town of Hagersville. It was a moving ceremony, with a slideshow of the 94 bright-eyed young men in uniform, sporting beautiful smiles—faces lit with hopes, prayers and aspirations.

As a mom, my mind wandered to my own young man, Carter, who is now 18, much the same age as many of those sent overseas. As a mother—as a parent—that is not a young man; that is your boy. The heaviness that must have been felt in the hearts of families as they kissed their boys goodbye must have been immense, especially given the fact that that kiss may be the last.

Even the wildest imaginations could not have conceived what those young men saw and endured. Our freedoms were given to us by heartbroken families, nurses and doctors who tended to the wounded and by those young boys and men, many who were denied the chance to carry out their dreams. And here we sit, having personally done nothing for the freedoms we enjoy.

The very least we can do is make it our responsibility to never forget the service and sacrifices of more than one and a half million Canadian soldiers, sailors, air crew and merchant seamen. We can all begin our year-long commitment starting next week by lending a hand to our local Legions and army, navy and air force units as they continue the annual poppy campaign. We will remember them.

It is my great pleasure today to introduce and welcome the parents of our page captain today. Our page is Ananya Joshi from Kitchener South–Hespeler, and we’re joined today by her mother, Prerana Joshi, and her father, Bakulesh Joshi. I’ll also bring greetings to her brother Arnav who couldn’t be here, as he’s in his studies at the Royal Canadian Military Institute. Thank you so much for coming.

The member from St. Catharines.

Before I begin, to my member from St. Catharines: I hear the passion every single year when you speak. We all want to thank you from the House here—everyone. Please thank your son for his service, and thank you for your passion and dedication to our service members who are serving overseas.

Applause.

And it makes me so glad to see MPPs from our party and from all sides of the House wearing a poppy this morning. Wearing a poppy may not seem like a big thing for some people, but Mr. Speaker, it’s a massive thing, showing respect for people who sacrificed their lives to give us freedom and democracy. But it’s also a reminder to each of us every time we see it again, the sacrifices our veterans have made and continue to make every single day, like our member from St. Catharines’s son. It’s a sign to our men and women in uniform that we see their sacrifice and honour them for it.

We know the hardship service members and their families go through, especially those men and women who are currently deployed overseas or away from home. We know that their service requires them to spend time away from their loved ones, face danger and difficulties every single day, and make sacrifices so many of us will never have to, and we thank them for it. We also honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for Canada, defending our freedoms on the front lines. For that, we owe them a debt that we can never repay.

Let me wrap up by saying this one more time: To my friends here on both sides of the House and to everyone across Ontario, on November 11, please take part in your local Remembrance Day ceremonies, no matter if it’s at the Legion or down at your town hall or city hall, and please, wear a poppy.

Speaker, I encourage everyone here to remember and reflect throughout the year—not just on Remembrance Day, but every day. Thank you, and may God bless our women and men in uniform, and may God bless the people of Ontario.

Each year, it’s a privilege to stand to participate in representing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in this Legislature as we collectively lead an important moment of reflection and commemoration during Veterans’ Week and leading up to Remembrance Day.

As November 11 draws near, it is by walking through the rich historical halls of this Legislature that we are reminded, together, what we all represent. Canadians across our country will join with our province; they will stand in silence, united, honouring the names on our community war memorials, our cenotaphs—the names of the brave men and women who sacrificed so that we could stand together today. These brave souls were our nation’s sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. They were the best of us, who packed up to traverse far from home to fields and cities across the world, to safeguard the Canadian way of life and to ensure that the liberties we cherish remain intact.

In each of our own ways, we honour those who have defended our freedoms and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Just this year, my colleague from Ottawa Centre visited Juno Beach. He visited a stretch of the coastline where his grandfather had fought and where many Canadians fought. He sent me a postcard illustrating the stark coastline of Juno Beach, from Gold to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. It was a reminder to me that I, too, had relatives who left for Juno Beach and never returned home; one of these was my grandfather’s brother John Griffin from Prince Edward Island. He was not alone—340 of the soldiers who left for Juno Beach did not return home. The picture on the postcard was also a reminder to me that while Remembrance Day means something different to each and every one of us, it is a uniting force and an opportunity for personal reflection. I want to thank the member from Ottawa Centre for sharing his experience with me.

As I look across and around this chamber, I am heartened to see the sea of poppies on all of our lapels. The poppies are not coloured to denote any political party, but instead they denote a common force that unites us all: a force of freedom.

Speaker, Remembrance Day carries a special meaning for myself and my family. I not only wear my poppy over my heart, but I wear my pride on my sleeve, as a proud mother of an active service member: my son, Jonathan Lindal, petty officer first class, a serving member of our Royal Canadian Navy. Jonathan follows in the footsteps of his grandfather and his great-grandfathers, who both served our country. Jonathan has successfully completed three six-month tours of duty. Each tour took him and his fellow sailors away from their families, away from their wives, away from their children—which would be my two grandchildren.

This underscores an often understated reality for our military men and women. The reality is that freedom comes at a cost. That cost is too often a loss of a limb, PTSD, loss of life, and, of course, the difficulties of the families left behind to manage without them. When we honour those who served, it should be with full recognition of those costs.

In our respective communities, I know each of us in this chamber will attend ceremonies that lay witness to veterans and members of the public adorned with medals—each medal a symbol of courage, leadership and sacrifice. These symbols serve as powerful reminders of our debt of gratitude, not only to those immortalized on cenotaphs and memorial walls, but also to the men and women in uniform today, who continue to defend all of us for our freedom.

In this moment of reflection, we are reminded of the profound sacrifices made by the Canadian Armed Forces throughout our history—we must ensure we recognize the sacrifices of those made by the soldiers, sailors and airmen who guarded and continue to guard our freedom through peacemaking missions, through NATO and the UN against terrorism and piracy. Speaker, we are reminded of those men and women who served during the First and Second World Wars, but also the 158 men and women who gave their lives for us in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was a military commitment I’m sure each and every one of us here can recall.

In my own community, we lost a hero and a dedicated community member in Afghanistan: Warrant Officer Denis Brown. He is deeply missed by his three boys, Zach, Owen and Ben. He is deeply missed by his community, and I deeply miss him. Denis was my good friend.

Just as we must remember the fallen from the World Wars, Korean War and Afghanistan, we must also remember the decisive role played by the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations Confederacy and their Indigenous allies during the War of 1812, particularly at the pivotal Battle of Queenston Heights which is honoured in the Niagara area each and every year. While not often acknowledged sufficiently, the military service of our First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada has deep roots. It is so important that we recognize, commemorate and remember their sacrifices.

I’m proud to represent a community with such a rich diverse military heritage, one that has given real representative form to our collective memory and gratitude. St. Catharines, like many of our communities across Ontario, is home to Royal Canadian Legions and veterans’ clubs that serve as a bastion of remembrance and support for our veterans and their families. These organizations play a crucial role in perpetuating the legacy of remembrance through ceremonies and initiatives aimed at bettering the lives of local veterans.

While symbols are vital, as we remember, let us also act, ensuring that the values and sacrifices of our veterans and service members are honoured not in words, but in deed. Speaker, I know each and every member in this chamber supports the intention. As we go about our business of our busy lives, as we debate motions, as we deal with realities in our own lives, forgetting that our freedoms were hard-fought can happen. We often may take them for granted, but we must never forget how we got them. We must all commit, like I myself commit, to honour the sacrifices, not only with words and ceremonies, however; reflect on what those sacrifices have meant to each and every one of us.

Their actions in the pursuit of freedom spoke for us. Now we must honour and appreciate their sacrifices. Lest we forget. We will remember them.

I am seeking unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 40(e), five minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond during statements by the ministry and responses today.

Actually, I think it was the member for Kitchener who was actually singled out as having used government resources to raise funds. But, having said that, Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue—

Interjection: Member for Waterloo.

I think, Mr. Speaker, what matters is exactly what the Premier said, that we continue to double down on ensuring that we build 1.5 million homes across the province of Ontario.

The Leader of the Opposition, of course, talks about fundraising. I guess I could ask her the same thing: When Silvio De Gasperis gave you $1,000, to the NDP, what did you promise him?

Interjections.

I wonder if she thinks that Carlo De Gasperis, who also made a $1,000 donation to the NDP, is sketchy as well, Mr. Speaker. I wonder what the Leader of the Opposition promised both Silvio De Gasperis and Carlo De Gasperis for the now $2,000 donations that we have found that went to that party.

What we’re going to continue to do is ensure that we continue to build 1.5 million homes, working with people like the De Gasperis family, who are building homes across Ontario, and other home builders who want to do so, Mr. Speaker.

But then, again, I asked the Leader of the Opposition—the NDP has accepted $2,000 in donations from the very same people she now calls sketchy, and if she has a third question, I might highlight some of the additional donations.

I want to thank the members for their eloquent tributes. We will remember them.

Point of order, the member for Ottawa–Vanier.

It is now time for oral questions.

The supplementary question.

I believe the standing orders indicate that questions go to the government, not the reverse. But at the same time, I would encourage all members to make their comments through the Chair.

Start the clock. The Leader of the Opposition.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Interjection.

Interjection.

If you ignore my requests to come to order, I will warn you.

Start the clock. The Leader of the Opposition.

Like any party, including the NDP over there and the Liberals and the Greens and ourselves for decades, you go to fundraisers. You meet hundreds of people. They chat with you.

But you know, Mr. Speaker, I’ll tell you what the people of Ontario are concerned about right now. They aren’t concerned about what the leader of the NDP is saying. They’re concerned about the carbon tax. They’re concerned about their mortgage when they’re about to lose their house next year or the year after, when they have to renew. They’re concerned about groceries and gas bills.

I just went to an opening over at Costco, met hundreds and hundreds of people, and every single one of them said, “Just keep going. Make sure you protect our backs. Make sure you lower the costs and the burden on the backs of the taxpayers.” And that’s what we’re doing. We’re making sure that we’re lowering the gas tax by 10 cents. We got rid of those tolls on the 412 and 418. We’re making sure that we’re giving 1.1 million low-income folks in Ontario a tax break. We’re going to continue doing that.

We’re going to focus on making sure we’re fiscally prudent with taxpayers’ money, and we’re going to be cutting taxes, not worrying about—

My question is for the Premier. The Premier told the Integrity Commissioner that he does not recall speaking with Sergio Manchia about changes to government land use policies, and yet new documents revealed this week show that the Premier met with Mr. Manchia on at least two occasions before announcing changes to the greenbelt—changes that benefited Mr. Manchia. One was a fundraiser for a fellow caucus member, the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook.

So to the Premier: How many other government members have had fundraisers with people who are looking for preferential treatment from this government?

Speaker, this government’s questionable fundraising is very well known to the people of Ontario. They’ve been warned and even cautioned on multiple occasions by officers of the Legislature and even Elections Ontario about their fundraising practices. The Integrity Commissioner revealed that the Premier’s fundraiser-in-chief was selling tickets to the infamous Ford family stag and doe to developers with business before the government. Those developers at the event succeeded in getting their properties removed.

So to the Premier: Was the Premier aware that his top fundraiser was peddling stag and doe tickets to developers who were lobbying the government?

Interjections.

Interjections.

Interjections.

To the Premier: Will his minister correct the record?

It’s pretty clear the only thing this government is sorry for is the fact that they got caught.

The FOI documents show that the Premier or a member of his staff wanted to make sure that the Premier’s friend, Mr. Rehmatullah, could develop these greenbelt lands in Nobleton. On November 4, Mr. Amato wrote, “Premier’s office has asked me for a picture to make sure it’s captured.”

Back to the Premier: Who in the Premier’s office was so interested in these Nobleton greenbelt lands, and why?

Interjections.

The Integrity Commissioner reported that Mr. Rehmatullah’s request for changes to these greenbelt lands in Nobleton caused quite a stir among the minister’s political staff. I think this is actually the first time I’ve ever seen the F-word written in a report tabled by an independent officer of the Legislature. The report does not explain why the minister’s political staff would give so much attention to a request from Mr. Rehmatullah.

Back to the Premier: Did he or any of his staff direct the ministry to make these changes that benefited his close friend? The people of Ontario deserve an answer.

Interjections.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Interjections.

Start the clock. Leader of the Opposition.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Interjections.

Interjections.

Start the clock. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Start the clock. The next question.

The supplementary question.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

We’re just 15 minutes into this. We have 45 minutes to go.

We are doing the public’s business. People are watching. People are in the visitors’ galleries. The pages are here.

Interjections.

There were no changes made to that official plan, and the Leader of the Opposition will know that we revoked the greenbelt changes to the provincial plan. That is a bill that is in fact in front of this House, and actually collapsed earlier today when the NDP did not want to carry on debate.

I will correct my record that it is not just donations from developers that she calls sketchy. That’s the difference between them and us, right? We want to build homes. We don’t call the people that build homes sketchy, because the people that build homes are the same people that came to this country, worked really hard, came here with absolutely nothing in their pocket and have grown and done something for themselves and remarkable things for this community.

So while they call them sketchy, I don’t think a person like Giancarlo DeGasperis, who gave $1,000 to the NDP, is sketchy. I think he’s a person who works hard. We’re going to continue to support those who are building homes for the province of Ontario and thank them for doing so.

Interjections.

The Leader of the Opposition called Mr. Rehmatullah a sketchy developer. I wonder if she felt that way when he was giving a $2,000 donation to the NDP. Was he sketchy then, because I don’t think he is. I think he’s a hard-working home builder—

Interjections.

We think that the people who build homes are the people we should be supporting, and we aren’t going to stop because we need them to build 1.5 million homes for the people of the province of Ontario.

Interjections.

But, at the same time, I wonder if Julian De Gasperis is sketchy because the opposition NDP, of course, accepted a $1,000 donation from him as well. I don’t think so, Mr. Speaker, because unlike the opposition who call the people that build homes, build infrastructure for the people of the province of Ontario, I don’t think they’re sketchy.

You know what I’m proud of? I’m proud of people who have come to this country with literally nothing and have built something for themselves and then have turned that passion into building for other people. Generations of Italians, like this family and other families, came here, have started with nothing and have done amazing things. We’ll support them because we need 1.5 million homes.

Interjections.

I wonder if his motion will include the unions that support him and that are anti-Semitic—probably not. They’ll continue to take money from those very same unions, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if it will include people like Michael De Gasperis who also gave $1,000 to the NDP.

Let’s get this straight: The people that they call sketchy, the very same people who probably build the roads and the houses that they’re living in and driving on—they’re sketchy. You build in Ontario, the NDP think they’re sketchy. If you worked hard to build wealth for yourself, they think you’re sketchy. If you came to this province with nothing and are contributing back to your community, they think you’re sketchy. But they’ll hold their hand out, take a cheque, and then call you sketchy here.

Interjections.

Like the minister said, everything was rescinded.

But what I am concerned about is how deep they’re involved with the public sector unions—like Fred Hahn, who’s an anti-Semite, by the way, who’s donating money to you to the maximum amount. What do you owe Fred Hahn? That’s my question. Extra deals? Backroom deals? Giving you more money?

Again, I’ll tell you one thing: He supports Hamas. You know he does. He said it publicly. He’s disgusting, as far as I’m concerned, and he’s a supporter—

Interjections.