I do appreciate the passion coming from the member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas. I appreciate the passion, and I think that is the passion we need in order to see change in Ontario. I don’t want to see the member lose their fire. However, passion and speaking about the issue is one thing, but actually moving into place, the changes that need to be made, is another thing. What we’ve been able to do in our government is go out and listen to women and give them a chance to speak about the things they need us to change.

So I ask the member, why is it difficult for us to actually listen to the women who’ve experienced trauma and share their stories in committee? Why are we not rushing that and giving them the opportunity to do that, to speak, so we can hear them, so that we can make changes. Because in the trades, and in these sectors, women have experienced sexual assault and they need to have their voices heard. So what is the problem—

I thank the member for his question and I appreciate that you had that many women working in your workplace. So it astounds me that you would have voted in favour to discharge Lydia’s Law to committee, because I can’t imagine that in a workplace of that many women you didn’t see issues of intimate partner violence; you didn’t see issues of gender-based violence or trauma. Because the stats will say that you did, whether you recognized it or not.

While showing up with a big cheque is important, as I said, these organizations are starved for funding. You need to do more. You need to dig deep and have the courage of your convictions to vote what is appropriate and vote what is just, not just what you’re told to do.

I really want to talk particularly about women workers, women who work in precarious jobs, women who work piecework. They’re very often afraid, even if they know what their entitlements are. They’re often afraid to speak up about the wages that are being stolen from them, because they fear reprisals.

The associate minister for women’s issues said that in the skilled trades sector, women feel that they are treated differently. Well, that’s no different from all women across all sectors. If they really wanted to help women in the workplace, as she has said in her speech here, you need to look at women having their wages stolen—the most low-income women in our province, pieceworkers, garment workers. You need to address that. The government’s job is to make sure that women get the wages that they deserve.

I would also remind you that intimate partner violence and the issue of sexual assault perpetrators, rapists, going free is not the same issue. This is a problem with the courts, and this is a problem with your government’s failure to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.

You pass bills here in a day, in two days, and we have all kinds of time here to debate your bills and debate bills that you’ve made mistakes on. Why did you not want to hear from the voices of women in this House that were prepared to come here? Instead, you dispatched it to committee where you know—

I met with a child care organization called Today’s Family in my community, and they shared with me that they are completely committed to the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care program, but that they’re struggling to implement it because they can’t afford to pay the workers what they deserve and they can’t continue to retain workers who cannot work on starvation wages, and I will just say that I had a question in the House the other day about women and families that can’t afford baby formula.

So this is a government that’s completely tone-deaf, is in their own bubble when it comes to the impact that women are facing, the economic difficulties that women are facing in this province under your government’s watch.

Questions?

I recognize the member from Niagara Falls.

Response?

I recognize the member from Parkdale–High Park.

I thank the member for her presentation. There’s been quite a bit of discussion this afternoon around working for workers, particularly women, and so I think that one of the things, when you look at what the Conservative government says versus what they do, you see that a lot of times the actions actually hurt women. When you look at Bill 124 and the attack on health care workers, when you look at the child care sector, these are sectors that are predominantly women—actually predominantly low-wage, racialized, immigrant women.

So my question to the member is, particularly when you look at child care, the wage enhancement that was promised by this government back in January has still not arrived. Workers still are not receiving that wage enhancement, and that wage enhancement only applies to a very small percentage of workers, not all child care workers. Do you think that this is the right way forward, and does that help all women who are in the child care sector?

Further debate?

You know what language is allowed and not allowed in the chamber, so I will caution you in regard to using it and not offer to use it again even though you know it’s not supposed to be used.

Interjections.

The member for Mississauga–Malton may continue.

We all heard it.

Speaker, you heard it. I heard it. You could hear it.

It’s not correct, and you know it.

As we recognize North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, it is very fitting to be speaking on Bill 190, Working for Workers Five Act, 2024.

As always, before I start, I want to say thank you to the supreme God for giving me health and well-being compared to the last time so I can stand up and be the voice of Mississauga–Malton. Thank you to the family, the staff and, of course, the residents of Mississauga–Malton for giving me an opportunity to represent them.

Madam Speaker, this bill is making sure that every worker is important to this government. Ensuring every worker returns safely to their family is crucial, and the initiative that I am going to talk about is actually talking about Ontario’s ongoing commitment to that goal.

Today, we’re implementing, and we’re asking, if passed—the changes to further advance the progress we have achieved over the past few years in supporting and protecting workers in this province.

And I want to talk a little bit about the achievement this government has with respect to the workers. The investments which are made by this government are: investing $1.5 billion in the skilled trades strategy to modernize and promote the trades, investing $1 billion in skill development projects—over 600 projects training over 500,000 workers. The workers, through the training, are able to get the training and advance into the jobs, in another way getting better jobs, bigger paycheques.

And we have seen Ontario has the highest representation of women and visible minorities in skilled trades today, thanks to these policies in Canada.

Let’s look at last year. Ontario had the highest number of apprentice registrations in over a decade. The government eliminated apprenticeship fees and cut journeypersons’ fees by half. And the output? Madam Speaker, the output is simple: Ontario has welcomed more manufacturing jobs than all 50 US states combined, and that is the report card of this government and the policies.

Let’s look further, Madam Speaker. Number of jobs: Ontario has created over 700,000 new jobs since 2018. Thanks to the historic investment, today, close to 600,000 Ontarians are working in construction, more than at any point in Ontario’s history.

We’re making the hiring and employment experience fairer by requiring job ads to state whether a position is currently available or just a potential future need so that when a worker applies they know what is going to be happening, requiring employers to respond to the applicants within a prescribed period after they have interviewed for a job with a hiring decision. We’re standing for our workers.

Under the Employment Standards Act, we are doubling the fines for individuals convicted of offences to $100,000, the highest in the country.

Madam Speaker, yes, I’ll hear it loud and clear: “Oh, will increasing the fines reduce the people who are making mistakes, wrongdoings?” Well, yes, of course. We want to make sure they understand that it’s not a casual business, and we want to make sure, by increasing the penalty for repeat offenders, we’re going to stand for our workers.

Madam Speaker, if you want to look at the tale of two governments, the penalty for repeat offenders exploiting workers under the Liberal government, supported by the NDP of course, was $1,000.

I just want to say to the member opposite: Yes, you do have an opinion, and you should express the opinion. That’s why the people of Niagara have voted you in. But at the same time, even if we disagree, we need to be civil. So I just want to say—

Interjection.

Let’s go back to what matters most to the people of Ontario. What is more important to the people is that this government is taking action—action by raising the penalty to $5,000 per employee, because it is unacceptable for bad actors to buy their way out of consequences for putting workers at risk.

We are also reducing the administrative burden for sick workers and health care professionals, and putting patients before paperwork. Madam Speaker, the WSIB has been successfully streamlining and modernizing its processes, from digitizing document submission to enabling direct deposits and tracking your claims online, so that any and every worker who is applying can get the service they need and deserve. And they will continue their effort by working with health sector organizations to explore further options to reduce the administrative burden on workers and doctors.

Additionally, Madam Speaker, our government will further reduce the paperwork for health care professionals by prohibiting employers from requiring a sick note for a worker’s job-protected leave. On average, family doctors are spending 19 hours filling out forms and documentation. That’s nearly half their work week on paperwork and other red tape.

That’s why we’re consulting on amending exemptions under the Employment Standards Act to no longer exclude IT workers from some of the basic rights, like overtime pay.

Through this bill, Madam Speaker, we are keeping front-line heroes and workers healthy and safe. We are making sure, by lowering the service time required for firefighters to receive compensation for skin cancer from 15 to 10 years. I am sure, Madam Speaker, you remember it used to be 25 years in the previous government, from 25 to 10 years, moving the coverage directly into the legislation. We’re making sure to include wildland firefighters and wildland fire investigators under the same coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder that applies to municipal firefighters.

Madam Speaker, again, through this bill we’re not just helping and supporting workers. We’re actually giving an opportunity to the opposition to stand up for the workers and make a difference.

Madam Speaker, it doesn’t matter what they do. We will continue to keep working for the workers to make sure the workplaces are safer and more welcoming, even for our women workers, by modernizing the Occupational Health and Safety Act to include virtual harassment, and making sure that the constructors and employers maintain washroom facilities, when they’re provided, in a clean and sanitary condition and maintain records of washroom cleaning. The other side is going to say, “What a big deal.” Well, talk to the women who are working at those construction sites about what a big deal it is.

Madam Speaker, we want to encourage more women to get into the skilled trades and create a more inclusive environment. We are requiring that menstrual products be provided on construction projects above a certain size and duration.

This is the reason this bill would benefit injured workers, women at work, internationally trained workers and job seekers young and old, no matter your background, and the heroes who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. While the benefits will be spread across our entire economy, the measures are of critical importance to skilled trades, construction, regulated professions, service and hospitality.

This is the time when we all can come together, stand up for the workers and vote in favour of Bill 190 so that we can build a better, stronger Ontario.

I would like to say thank you to the member for that question and reminding that they had the choice to support this budget and they did not. They had a choice to say yes to the investments to the people of Ontario and he himself said that they picked their choice and they actually did not vote in favour of investing. But that’s totally fine. That’s the reason people have sent you here to be their voice.

Talking about the WSIB—the member talked about it—the WSIB provides the lost wages, medical coverage and assistance in getting back to work. I just want to talk about the data: 96% of claims have an allowance to be seen within 10 days; up to 89% in 2019. The rebate—for the first time in history, the WSIB issued a surplus, but at the same time, made sure that it was able to give back the claims to the people of Ontario.

As the Premier always says, the firefighters are our heroes. When everybody is running away from the fire, they are the ones who are going towards the fire. They make sure that the people come first before themselves, so we just want to take a moment to thank them. This is a government who believes in our firefighters and wants to support our firefighters.

That is why this act will introduce robust measures to protect the health and safety of front-line workers. The service time required for firefighters to receive compensation for skin cancer will be lowered from 15 years to 10 years. It used to be 25 years; from 25 to 15, and now 10. For example, if there was a firefighter who worked for about 11 to 12 years, in the previous way, he would not have got the coverage, but today, he or she will get the coverage, and this is one way we want to make sure that we support and respect our firefighters.

Questions?

Thank you to my colleague for his remarks regarding Bill 190. I was interested to hear about the firefighters and the wildland firefighters that he mentioned in his remarks. I’m curious if he can expand a little bit more and tell us what new protections are included in the act to enhance the health and safety of front-line workers and heroes.

Yes, I would just say that I’ve stood up for workers my entire career. I hope you can spell it.

He did raise WSIB. Let’s be clear on WSIB: Why does your government continue to support deeming instead of getting rid of deeming that is forcing workers to live in poverty? My question is, why are you forcing workers to live in poverty?

And I will say, because you raised the budget, there isn’t an opposition that has ever supported the government’s budget, including the 15 years that you guys were the official opposition. You voted against every single budget, so learn your history before you talk—

The member, I want to thank you for your comments today. One of the games that the government plays in this House is they always say, “Oh, the opposition, they voted against this, they voted against this, they voted against this.” We voted against your budget bill, and your budget bill is bankrupting our schools, it’s bankrupting our colleges, our universities—11 out of 23 universities in this province are declaring shortfalls, are running deficits this year. Our hospitals are being bankrupted so that you can privative all of our public services.

How could you possibly ask us to support a bill that is bankrupting the most important public services in this province?

One of the things the government announced when they announced this in their media release—and it got all the headlines—was that it would include a suite of measures to support workers, including requiring menstrual products be provided on larger construction sites. That sounds like a good thing, except it’s not in the bill.

This is one of the things that this government does. They do what my colleague from Hamilton West calls pinkwashing. They put out this headline that, “Oh, we’re doing this wonderful thing for women workers. We’re going to make sure that there are menstrual products available on construction sites,” but it’s not in the legislation. So it means nothing.

When I look at the record of this government with regard to women and women workers, it’s really quite appalling. It starts with the midwives. Midwives were fighting for equal pay for work of equal value. The Human Rights Tribunal decided that, yes, their case was legitimate. What did this government do? They appealed that decision to the courts and then it went all the way to—it took several years, went to the courts. The courts upheld the decision and said that, yes, this government and the previous Liberal government were ripping off midwives; they were not giving them equal pay for work of equal value. They were actually underpaying them because they are women workers.

The next thing they did is they passed Bill 124, which illegally capped public sector workers’ wages at 1%. This primarily impacted women workers, disproportionately women workers. A lot of these workers, health care workers, PSWs and nurses that this government illegally tried to cap their wages—that had to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. It took four years to get there and then it was finally overturned. Now the government’s having to pay them out.

In the meantime, what happened was women workers were so distraught, especially the health care workers, the nurses and the PSWs through the pandemic—they were not getting rewarded for the work that they were doing, not getting rewards for the risk that they were taking to support people and to help patients through the pandemic. So a lot of them left. As another of my colleagues mentioned today, there’s a 25% attrition rate among PSWs per year in this province because this government refuses to pay PSWs a legitimate working and living wage that’s commensurate to the work that they’re doing.

This government passed Bill 28 when they first got into power, and Bill 28 actually stripped the workers of their charter rights using the “notwithstanding” clause. This was charter rights, the fundamental freedoms—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association. It stripped them of their legal rights against arbitrary detention. This meant that if those education workers went on a wildcat strike, they did not have rights against arbitrary detention. They could have just gone and arrested them all.

It also stripped them of their protection under the Human Rights Code. The Human Rights Code protects against discrimination based on gender, based on race, based on ability, disability, gender preference. This government actually stripped those workers, who were primarily—60% of those workers impacted by that bill were women workers.

Yesterday, in the Legislature, my colleague brought forward Lydia’s Law. This law is about compelling the province to provide statistics on sexual assault cases and mandating progress reports. It comes because there have been 1,171 sexual assault cases that have been stayed in 2023. In 2022, the number was 1,326 sexual assault cases stayed.

There’s a case I was just reading about online in the news. There was a student who was sexually assaulted on her campus. The case went, over an almost-two-year period, to court. She had the courage to face her assaulter in court, but just before the case came to conclusion, the case was thrown out. She never got her day of justice. She never got the court to actually hear and make a decision on that sexual assault case. She had the courage to come forward and go through all of the process of making the charge and going through that court case

There are hundreds of women in similar cases. There were 100 women in this Legislature yesterday to hear Lydia’s Law—

This government has said that this is a bill about improving the working conditions of women, and it’s called Working for Workers. When they announced it, they said, “Hey, we’re going to have menstrual products available on construction sites.” That’s not even in the legislation.

So when the government is trying to pretend that they are working for women workers, they should actually step up and work for women workers. There are a lot of women workers who work in sexual assault agencies, supporting survivors of sexual assault. They are dealing with the trauma. They are dealing with underpayment and with a lack of funding for the important work that they are doing.

Many of them were here in the Legislature yesterday, and many of the survivors were here in the Legislature yesterday. All they wanted to do was to hear the debate on Lydia’s Law, and this government cancelled the debate. The members opposite in the Conservative Party stood and voted not to hear that debate, even though there were 100 survivors of sexual assault in this Legislature yesterday.

It’s not just this example that this government is working against women workers. This government has shown incredible disrespect for women workers. Women still make 32% less for the same work of equal value than men. If you’re going to have a Working for Workers bill, and you’re going to pretend that it’s for women workers, you should be addressing that gender pay gap, because it’s just incredibly unfair that women are still, in 2024, not getting paid equally for work of equal value. You’ve shown with the midwife case that you are willing to take women to court to fight against their right for equal pay.

I’ll just go to another Working for Workers bill. This government always announces, and they have a really good, catchy byline. This time, it was menstrual products. In a previous Working for Workers bill, they said they were going to give gig workers the right to use the washroom—

That was a great diversion from what the actual bill was about because what that bill was about is, there was a tribunal hearing that said gig workers had been misclassified as contractors, but they were actually employees, so they were entitled to protections under the Employment Standards Act. What that bill—that “working for workers” bill—did is, it stripped those workers of their protections under the Employment Standards Act, so they are not entitled to minimum wage for all of the work hours that they had worked.

For example, a lot of the gig workers, a lot of the drivers—there was a report in the Toronto Star recently that said that after expenses they are making $6.37 an hour. And this government’s response to the abuse and the exploitation of gig workers was to strip them of their rights under the Employment Standards Act to create a separate subclass of workers that are called “gig workers,” who do not have the protections that other employees do in the province of Ontario.

I think this government is trying to get away with something. This government is trying to convince people that they are supportive of workers, but your record shows exactly the opposite. As far as women workers go and as far as women, and particularly survivors of sexual assault go, what this government did yesterday was absolutely shameful.

I actually got involved in politics when my kids were in elementary school because the Mike Harris government of that day was underfunding our schools. I actually had a newsletter that I was putting out to parents. Every week, I would put out another edition and it would highlight the two things that the government was cutting—that this government, through their supervisors at the Toronto District School Board, was cutting from our schools. Sometimes it would be the daytime custodian at my kids’ school or it would be the gym classes for kindergarten students or it would be the art program.

This government wants all of our public services and all of our public assets to go to their corporate friends so that they can generate profit, rather than provide services to the people of Ontario.

Thank you to the member opposite for his remarks. He talked at length about the importance of having women in our workforce, which we all agree is very important here and important to prevent gender-based violence.

On page 108 of the budget we are investing an additional $13.5 million “to enhance initiatives that support women, children, youth and others”—racialized communities—“who are at increased risk of violence or exploitation....”

Can the member opposite please tell this House and those watching why they voted against the budget a few short hours ago?

I recognize the deputy government House leader.

I caution the member; you are outside the scope of the bill that we are discussing.

Further questions? The member from—

Interjections.

Point of order.

But, believe me, there is a clip reel somewhere being developed now watching you socialize that harmful term that diminishes the value of women in the skilled trades—

In my riding of Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake I have Niagara College—this member talked about education—which is $12 million in debt, with 12,000 students, because of this Conservative government. Then, just down the road, Brock University: $25 million in debt, 19,000 students.

My question is pretty simple: Why do you think the Conservative government is deliberately underfunding our post-secondary education, which is going to harm our students?