I’d like to introduce Dr. Deepy Sur, CEO; Kaelen Boyd, director of policy and stakeholders; and Justin Dela Pena, social policy adviser, from the Ontario Association of Social Workers as we honour social workers week in Ontario. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome, from Hamilton West–Ancaster—Dundas, Starus Chan, who is participating in the Remarkable Assembly women’s forum. Welcome to your House and thank you so much for all the work you do.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister of Long-Term Care for recognizing the presence of the Armenian Community Centre long-term-care board members. I am not going to repeat the names, but I also would like to welcome my legislative assistant Aris Movssesian, commonly known as Junior.

Good morning, everyone. I just want to welcome all the women participating in the remarkable women’s assembly today. It’s great to have women in the House, in this chamber. This is your House. You belong here, as do all women.

It’s my great pleasure to introduce a constituent from my riding who is here for the women’s forum today, Jana Jandal Alrifai. Welcome to Queen’s Park. Enjoy your day here.

I have the honour of introducing a great constituent from my community in Oakville. We have, in the members’ gallery, Scott Barber.

I was looking forward to welcoming Kayleigh Jeanveau this morning. I worked with her dad, Dan, for many years at Vale. She was coming down for the Legislative Assembly’s women’s forum. Unfortunately, there was a family emergency and she had to return home. I just want to let her know that she is welcome here at any time.

I’d like to welcome some amazing individuals from my riding from Young Sports Club: Palwinder Sidhu, Jaswinder Sarai and Harvinder Singh. Thank you and welcome to your House.

I’d like to also welcome members of the Armenian Community Centre. Also, I’d like to especially welcome my friend and neighbour, former MPP Faisal Hassan.

I also would like to welcome the remarkable women who took part in the Remarkable Assembly women’s forum today at Queen’s Park. Thank you for your work and for your leadership. May you one day fill these seats, because goodness knows we need more women.

I’d also like to thank Charlie the Chaplin. I was at the Ontario Prayer Breakfast this morning. It was an incredible opportunity to really be in a non-partisan space and to celebrate one another and to give great gratitude to one another. Thank you, Charlie the Chaplin, for your support.

Residents in Ottawa woke up to the news of a horrific tragedy this morning, so I’d like to seek the unanimous consent of the House to remember the family—four children and two adults—who were found killed in their home last evening in Barrhaven, which is a suburban community of Ottawa.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 40(e), five minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond to the ministerial statement today on International Women’s Day.

I seek unanimous consent of the House for members to be permitted to wear purple scarves in honour of International Women’s Day.

I think the Integrity Commissioner has addressed that. I think I’ve addressed it on a number of occasions in the House.

This will be the last one. The member for Toronto–St. Paul’s.

I’m going to remind members that it’s best if you keep your introduction of your guests brief and devoid of any political commentary or partisan statement.

Members will please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

Interjections.

I recognize the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.

We’re ready to start question period. I recognize the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Everything old is new again. Just over 10 years ago, the official opposition discovered that the government had been using code words to cover up misconduct. That was the Liberal government, and they were found to be using the term “project vapour” as code for their gas plant cover-up.

Now we know that the current government also used code terms, like “G*” and “special project” to cover their tracks on the greenbelt grab. So my question to the Premier is, is special project “G*” this government’s “project vapour?”

We have emails with “special project” in the subject line sent between Mr. Amato and Mr. Sackville, and it is clearly the $8-billion greenbelt scheme. They sent emails with details about the scheme, like removal criteria, but they never actually say the word “greenbelt.”

So my question to the Premier again—I think the people of Ontario would deserve a response from the Premier himself. Did anyone in the Premier’s office direct that government officials avoid or destroy any paper trail that could expose their greenbelt discussions?

It’s a question of integrity. It’s a question of accountability. The use of code terms is evidence of intent to conceal. Someone was trying to cover their tracks, and that’s not all. The Auditor General found that political staffers were not just deleting emails related to the greenbelt; they were also using their own personal emails to avoid detection. The Premier himself conducts government business on his personal phone, but refuses to disclose his phone records as required by law.

When the Liberal government got caught covering up a scandal during project vapour, someone went to jail. And guess what? It was the Premier’s chief of staff. Why is the Premier following the Liberal government down the same path of code words, cover-ups and criminal investigations?

Again, if the Leader of the Opposition has additional information that she would like to share with the Integrity Commissioner, I invite her to do so.

The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

Supplementary question.

To reply, the member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan and parliamentary assistant.

Don’t worry, that’s going to happen. That’s going to happen.

Speaker, we spend a lot of time in here talking about this government’s scandals—the greenbelt grab, the cover-up, G*, the RCMP criminal investigation of this government—but one of the biggest scandals in this province is the fact that more than 2.2 million Ontarians don’t have a primary care doctor. The health of Ontarians is at risk and that risk increases with every single passing day that this government fails to deliver.

My question to the Premier is, exactly how long will he keep people waiting for a doctor?

My question to the Premier is, why is this Premier letting paperwork stand between doctors and patients?

Minister, doctors are leaving the system faster than anyone can recruit them because of this exact issue. Doctors should be spending their time with patients, not with paperwork. Why does the government continue to complicate this issue? Doctors are spending 19 hours per week on administrative tasks. If they could spend that time with patients instead, it would be like adding 2,000 more doctors. That would reduce the primary care wait-list by 90%, Speaker—a practical solution, a simple solution.

Why won’t the government get the paperwork off doctors’ desks?