Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Mr. McCarthy moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 194, An Act to enact the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 and to make amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act respecting privacy protection measures / Projet de loi 194, Loi édictant la Loi de 2024 visant à renforcer la sécurité et la confiance en matière de numérique et modifiant la Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée en ce qui concerne les mesures de protection de la vie privée.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, good morning to all honourable members of this House. On behalf of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, it gives me great pleasure to lead off debate in regard to second reading of a very important and timely piece of legislation, the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, which if passed—if it passes this House—promises to strengthen digital protections for people in our great province. I welcome the opportunity to speak about this critical new legislation and I look forward to an informed debate about what it will mean for ministries, public sector organizations and the citizens who elected us to serve them.

I will be sharing my time today with the Minister of Education, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the excellent work of my ministry officials in putting this bill together after many years of consultation and bringing it to the point where we can engage now in a thorough and thoughtful debate in the House. I want to particularly acknowledge and thank my deputy minister, Renu Kulendran; the associate deputy minister, chief digital and data officer, chief privacy archives, digital and data, John Roberts; ADM Melissa Kittmer; ADM, corporate chief information officer, Mohammad Qureshi; chief information security officer, Daniela Spagnolo; and our legal director, Fateh Salim. Thank you to all members of the ministry for making this possible today.

In an era dominated by technology, where our lives are increasingly intertwined with digital platforms and our data is stored in virtual realms, the importance of safeguarding against cyber attacks and protecting personal data cannot be overstated. The pace of digital innovation is accelerating like never before. On a daily basis, new technologies and modernization of services are revolutionizing the way we live and work. These new advancements are not only reshaping but enhancing the lives of individuals globally.

It is important that we harness the benefits of these changes as they have a profound effect on day-to-day life, impacting people of all ages while also safeguarding Ontarians against potential harms. By doing so, we aim to ensure Ontario remains a leader in the digital arena, fostering a future where technology enriches our lives while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security.

The Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024, Bill 194, would, if passed, build a foundation to better protect the personal data entrusted to us by the people of Ontario when interacting with public sector organizations, with additional protections to safeguard the health and safety of Ontario’s children.

The overarching key outcomes of this important legislation, if passed, are as follows: enhancing cyber security by strengthening resilience and maturity within key public sector entities; building a strong foundation for artificial intelligence governance while ensuring its use is transparent, responsible and accountable; improving digital service delivery to provide a consistent, secure and seamless experience when accessing government programs and services; reinforcing data and privacy protections so Ontarians can confidently and safely participate in today’s digital world; and last, but certainly not least, strengthening children’s protections to prevent the misuse of their data, especially in classroom settings.

As a government, it is paramount that we do our part within our jurisdictional powers to ensure the proper safeguards are in place to protect the residents of Ontario. We are steadfast in our commitment to put guardrails in place to better shield Ontarians from potential harms, a key priority guiding all of our work on cyber security and digital trust.

In today’s digital age, we simply—I’ve said this many times before, and I’ll say it again: We simply cannot afford to be off-line in an online world. We live in an era dominated by technology, where our lives are increasingly intertwined with digital platforms. Personal data is stored virtually in the cloud; the importance of safeguarding it against cyber attacks for the people of Ontario can never be overstated.

Trust is the main pillar upon which our digital economy is built. Without trust, people are reluctant to interact with the ever-evolving digital economy, and businesses then hesitate to adopt new technologies moving toward the future. Building and maintaining trust in our digital ecosystem requires a multi-faceted approach involving not only robust cyber security measures but also transparent policies, effective regulation and co-operation among government, people, families, industry and civil society. As our lives become increasingly reliant on digital technologies, it is paramount that we enhance our safeguards and protections to maintain the trust of Ontarians in our government and our institutions.

We all know how increasingly sophisticated, relentless and frequent cyber attacks have become. According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, cyber attacks are a growing threat to Ontario. The number of cyber incidents in this province has risen from more than 10,000 in 2018 to over 28,000 in 2022. From critical infrastructure to personal data, our digital systems are under constant threat from cyber attacks. These attacks can come from a variety of sources, including malicious hackers, organized cyber criminal groups and even hostile nation states. The consequences of a cyber attack can be severe, ranging from financial loss and identity theft to the disruption of essential services, and even threats to our national security.

There is no doubt about it, we must lead in protecting people’s personal information online, and that is why we developed Ontario’s first-ever Cyber Security Strategy in 2019. As part of that strategy, we established an all-new cyber security expert panel. The job of that panel is to identify and report on areas where we could grow and improve our efforts. After the expert panel released its report in October 2022, we very rapidly got down to work on implementing the recommendations of the panel. The report pointed to the need for strong governance, education, communication and co-operation. All of these are areas that we are targeting in this proposed legislation in a multitude of ways in our day-to-day work.

The proposed legislation, if passed, would establish regulation-making authority and empower the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery to lead the cyber security direction for select public sector entities, especially for vulnerable sectors such as hospitals, schools and children’s aid societies. Regulations may include sector-specific requirements and mandatory cyber incident reporting to government. These regulations would be developed through consultations with key government and public sector stakeholders to help these organizations better prepare, respond and recover from cyber threats and attacks.

We are also proposing centralized reporting within government to better respond, deploy and get involved in emergency management of cyber incidents, particularly with those public sector organizations that do not have strong cyber security practices. Not only will this elevate the overall maturity of Ontario’s cyber security regime, but it will lead to long-term cost savings by mitigating the quantity and severity of cyber attacks. On average, a cyber attack costs an organization almost $7 million. Cyber attacks on public institutions are not just attacks on Ontarians’ data, but also their tax dollars that fund and maintain these institutions.

Simply put, cyber security challenges are immense, and we must rise to meet them head on. We must safeguard and limit exposure to cyber threats and attacks for the people and the businesses of our province. If this legislation is passed, it will empower our government to take the serious measures needed to enhance protections across the board, to better protect the personal data entrusted to us from unauthorized use as well as curb the impact when cyber attacks do occur.

Let us shift gears to a core responsibility entrusted to the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery: the transparent, accountable and responsible use of artificial intelligence. This legislation, if passed, would empower my ministry to lead the way by building a strong foundation in AI governance to leverage its tremendous benefits while ensuring it is used safely and responsibly across government and the public sector.

As we embrace transformational and powerful artificial intelligence tools to help us build a better province, we are committed to ensuring that these technologies are used transparently, accountably and responsibly in the public sector. To that end, we are introducing safeguards through proposed legislation that will guide the use of AI in our government and public sector. This legislation will include a clear definition of an artificial intelligence system, aligned with other leading jurisdictions. This step is crucial to create consistency in how AI is defined and understood across the public sector, supporting our AI-related initiatives across government. We are also proposing to establish strong accountability and transparency requirements.

These measures will require public sector organizations to inform the public whenever they are interacting with AI systems. Additionally, any decisions made by way of artificial intelligence must always have a channel for human, recognizing the potential for bias in AI systems.

The proposed legislation will also create regulation-making authority to ensure the responsible, risk-based use of AI by select public sector organizations. This includes strict adherence to Ontario’s Trustworthy AI Framework. This framework has been developed by my ministry and it aims to protect people from unintentional harms and reduce both liability and reputational risk associated with artificial intelligence technologies.

We understand the importance of co-operation and consultation in this process. Therefore, these regulations will be developed through extensive consultations with government and public sector stakeholders, Indigenous partners, industry leaders and AI experts. These legislative changes are designed to ensure that Ontario remains at the forefront of AI guidance and usage, setting an example for transparent, responsible and accountable implementation of AI technologies.

The immense promise that artificial intelligence holds in putting forward solutions to some of our most pressing challenges cannot be overstated. It can unlock the potential for unprecedented innovation in virtually all industries, and it fosters long-term economic growth across Ontario.

With more than 400 artificial intelligence firms and institutions in our province—the number of which is growing daily, I might add—Ontario truly is at the forefront of an artificial-intelligence-enabled future. Ontario is where global giants and start-ups can grow side by side.

Under the leadership of our government, we have been exploring the use of AI, recognizing the amazing potential of its application in health care, education, crisis response and so much more. While working together with our public and private sector partners at all levels, we will position Ontario as a global leader in the responsible adoption of AI.

AI technology is, of course, evolving very rapidly. In the last year or so, we have seen its adoption and expansion advancing at a blistering pace. Every day, more and more companies of all sizes are building AI systems into their operations to increase efficiency or expand their range of products and services.

While we recognize that the potential of AI is incredible and can impact all in the province in a positive manner, our government is extremely cognizant of the many possible risks that it could pose as it continuously evolves. We are the first province in Canada that is taking initiative to create and implement substantial legislation that protects everyone of all ages in the online world. The AI pieces within this proposed legislation build upon our existing work to responsibly adopt this revolutionary technology.

Our consultations on AI began in 2021 to develop the principles of Ontario’s first trustworthy artificial intelligence framework. At that time, my ministry began by bringing together experts from the tech and AI industries as well as academia to form our AI expert working group, a group to provide advice and recommendations on the development of this proposed AI framework.

Round tables and bilateral meetings have been held with Indigenous groups, industry, civil society and legal organizations on the development of the framework. They play a pivotal role in ensuring we do not lag behind when it comes to AI. We will adopt the best policies and the best practices and invest in the appropriate technologies within government to create efficiencies in the work that we do. The regular advice of these stakeholders and advisers and their recommendations to my ministry have assisted and will continue to help support the development of any future updates to Ontario’s Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Framework.

Additionally, we will continue to actively engage with our federal partners to advocate for the people of Ontario when it comes to the federal government’s work on cyber security, privacy and AI. This includes the federal government’s Bill C-27. We constantly monitor the progress of federal bills to ensure alignment in areas of common priority and sectors of critical importance for Ontario and how to be nimble as we integrate our future work for the benefit of the province of Ontario and, indeed, all of Canada. We will waste no time working with our federal counterparts and all of our partners to protect the people of Ontario in terms of their privacy and their online security. This is a top priority for our government.

Our government prides itself on protecting all citizens and consumers in Ontario. My ministry recently introduced the new Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act, 2023, and the Building Infrastructure Safely Act, 2024, both of which received unanimous consent in this House. Just yesterday, I tabled legislation that, if passed, will retroactively ban notices of security interest, or NOSIs, on the land registry with respect to consumer goods and services. This legislation, Bill 200, will protect seniors and the most vulnerable from bad actors, predatory practices and, indeed, organized white-collar crime.

These are just a few examples of the great work the various teams across my ministry have done, and I am proud to lead the ministry’s efforts to ensure that our government is providing safeguards for all consumers. Moving forward with this legislation, our goal remains the same: to protect all of our citizens and residents across this great province.

Another enhancement that will be delivered if Bill 194 is passed into legislation focuses on the critical topic of modernizing digital service delivery. In an era of rapid technological advancement and evolving public expectations, it is vital that we continue to evolve in the way our government interacts with citizens and businesses. Our government wants to ensure that we are creating the necessary changes to keep up with the ever-changing digital world, and we have already begun to make changes to help make life easier for the people of Ontario.

Digital technology has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, revolutionizing the way we work, communicate and access information. The proposed changes in this legislation include enabling powers for service provider organizations like ServiceOntario to enhance digital service delivery; and allowing online service delivery to be more convenient by offering those who provide consent the ability to benefit from what we call the “tell us once” feature, which includes pre-populated fields and communication preferences so that citizens and residents don’t need to restate their information every time they interact with government. Again, this is a matter of choice, but it’s also a matter for convenience if selected by those of our fellow citizens and residents who interact with government.

This modernization requires a fundamental rethinking of the way government interacts with the people it serves, placing their needs and experiences at the forefront of service design and delivery. By embracing a holistic, integrated approach, we can streamline processes and provide a seamless, safe and consistent experience across all touch points.

For far too long, previous governments have been lagging when it comes to adopting new technologies and providing efficient and modern service delivery. Ontario is prepared and equipping itself to lead in this space and become a global model for how we can embrace technology for the benefit of all.

One of the key aspects of modernizing digital service delivery is the adoption of user-centric design principles. By engaging directly with the people of Ontario to understand their needs, preferences and pain points, we can create intuitive, user-friendly interfaces that enable a smooth interaction with government services across the board. From applying for permits to accessing social benefits, every interaction should be as simple, intuitive and efficient as ordering a meal or booking a ride.

Finally, modernization is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey, one that demands continuous iteration, adaption and improvement. As technology evolves and societal needs change, so too must our approach to digital service delivery. As we build a better Ontario together, it is vital that no one is left behind. Our government is providing muti-channel options, making services more convenient and accessible whenever and wherever Ontarians choose to obtain those services. The people and businesses of Ontario deserve nothing less, and we will continue to make changes moving forward based on the needs and wants of our citizens and residents.

As one of the top global leaders in the digital space, our Ontario government not only needs to demonstrate that we are taking a positive and responsive approach to preventing cyber attacks and breaches and ensuring that AI is used responsibly, but that we are also taking other measures to protect people by effectively safeguarding their personal data. Our proposed legislation, then, if passed, would further update Ontario’s privacy framework to reflect emerging digital and data issues. It is imperative that the data the people of Ontario entrust to government always remains safe and secure.

As I indicated previously, trust is essential. We need to continue to build up the trust of Ontarians so that we all feel safe participating and we are all able to thrive in today’s vast online world.

As we have seen over the past few years, privacy breaches have been occurring at an alarming rate. These breaches have the ability to impact our most important sectors such as our hospitals and our schools, indeed putting children and the most vulnerable at risk. Our government is therefore working tirelessly to strengthen these safeguards against those breaches and put mechanisms in place to mitigate and minimize their impacts when they do occur.

That is why we are proposing to modernize privacy protections and reduce risks associated with privacy breaches and unauthorized data access, including identity theft. This will be done, we submit, through proposed amendments to FIPPA, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The proposed amendments would establish requirements for privacy breach notifications and mandatory privacy breach statistical reporting to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario by all FIPPA institutions. This would provide information that is key to mitigating breaches and do better in terms of ensuring personal information is kept safe and secure. Let there be no doubt about it, Speaker and fellow members of this House: Safeguarding data and privacy in today’s increasingly digital world is, and will remain, a top priority for our Ontario government.

The proposed changes reflect a series of consultations with the public, key stakeholders and experts, including the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Ontario Human Rights Commission, to modernize protections for data in our province. The changes would update our policy landscape to reflect the emerging digital data and privacy issues that deeply impact our citizens and reflect the rapid technology changes we see globally.

Now I would like to speak about the core priority of this landmark legislation, the protection of our province’s future: our children. In this world of ever-changing technological advances, there has been no period of history where children have been subjected to the online world more than right now. We must ensure that children are protected from bad actors online and that their personal data is not being mined or used for harmful practices. That is why this bill also includes targeted updates to improve privacy safeguards and establish information protections for our children, aligning with recommendations from a variety of partners.

The Law Commission of Ontario in 2023 issued recommendations citing the lack of protections for youth, the elderly and other vulnerable communities against risks in the digital landscape. As minister—but more importantly, as a father and as an uncle and a family man—I am beyond proud to have tabled this new act, which, if passed, will be a comprehensive approach to strengthening data protections for children in provincial settings such as schools and children’s aid societies.

Studies indicate that children are accessing the Internet at a younger age more than ever before, and experts agree that children are at greater risk of harms posed by digital platforms. Recent years have seen increasing instances of privacy violations, cyberbullying and other data-related harms. Yes, an expanded online world does provide tremendous benefits for our children, but we must recognize the unique risks that they face—risks that, quite frankly, none of us ever had to face growing up. We are truly, then, charting new territory in the digital world, and we must do what we can as legislators to place the appropriate safeguards needed to protect them. This is what we owe to our children: never accepting complacency, and putting their best interests first and foremost always. This is the priority of all our Ontario government, and I urge the member of House to adopt it unanimously because it goes above partisan politics.

Make no mistake about it, we must all work together, sparing no efforts to ensure their safety. That is why, if this bill passes, my ministry will work in lockstep with our partner ministries to develop consultation plans with priority sectors, the public and targeted experts. We are eager to work with school boards, parents, all groups overseeing children in provincial settings, social media and tech industry experts, as well as law enforcement. These extensive consultations would inform the development of regulations and directives to ensure the right protections are in place, matching the unique needs of our various public sector institutions and the children they serve.

It is paramount that we do our part, that we do everything that we can in protecting our children and our youth by acting in their best interests for a successful and secure future. We will be proposing to introduce clear rules to strengthen the protection of children’s information to combat the misuse of data created by children and youth engaging with schools and children’s aid societies. We must safeguard children’s information from being stolen or used inappropriately due to cyber incidents.

Based on the consultations, future regulations could include age-appropriate standards for the software programs on devices, such as laptops used by students at school, and strengthening the standards for software procurement by schools to prohibit the usage or selling of student data to third parties for predatory marketing.

Make no mistake about it, our government must and will take decisive action to safeguard children from harm and to ensure that their online experiences are safe, positive and empowering. It is not just about protecting them in the present, but also about safeguarding their future autonomy and agency over their personal data. The health and well-being now and in the future of the children of Ontario depends on meeting the new challenges of this age as we move forward in the ever-changing digital world.

My ministry’s work on safeguarding children in provincial settings through this proposed act goes hand in hand with the important protections for children and youth in educational settings implemented by the Ministry of Education’s latest proposed ban on cellphones and social media in schools. My colleague the Minister of Education will elaborate on this further in his remarks in the House today. And my colleague the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, I anticipate, will highlight how our proposed changes also align with and work in parallel with his ministry’s Supporting Children’s Futures proposal. We will continue to build off the great work we have done with these ministries and consult with all impacted ministries and public sector entities on any policies that may impact them.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to the various teams across my ministry who helped make this bill a reality. This is a culmination of years of work by resolute Ontarians committed to securing the bright future of our great province, especially for our children. This legislation, if passed, would give Ontario residents and businesses critical peace of mind when interacting with their government and all public sector organizations.

Speaker and fellow members of this House, make no mistake about it: Ontario needs these new digital trust policies to reduce the risk of exposure to cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and government operations, the risk of privacy breaches that threaten individual trust in public services and the risk associated with irresponsible use of artificial intelligence.

As I hope I have made abundantly clear, the time for action is now. Bad actors in the digital world are increasingly sophisticated, persistent and growing in numbers exponentially each and every day. But we have the backs of Ontarians, and we are here to protect our children. We will combat the threats posed by these criminals head on. Together we are taking a government-wide, holistic and responsive approach to strengthening cyber security, keeping sensitive data protected and ensuring adaptability to emerging technologies. We in Ontario are taking the lead and will continue to consult with all partners and make the necessary changes as we move forward in our ever-changing digital world.

Cyber security, digital privacy, protecting children online, artificial intelligence risks and modernizing digital service delivery are interrelated issues that require our urgent attention and concerted action. I have no doubt that together we can build a more secure, resilient and inclusive digital society for generations to come.

Speaker, it has truly been an honour to address the House today with respect to our proposed Bill 194. I appreciate the kind attention of colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I look forward to listening carefully to all contributors to this important debate. I know that there will be many thought-provoking and thoughtful comments that will be shared among us, and I look forward to a conversation that will result in a very, very effective and forward-thinking bill.

I encourage all here to support the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024, because it’s the right thing to do in moving the province forward in this digital age.

I recognize the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

I thank my colleague for his remarks.

Speaker, let me start by stating that our government takes the privacy and safety of young Ontarians very seriously, so I’m very pleased to be here today to speak in support of Bill 194, the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024. I’m grateful to my cabinet colleague the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery for his comprehensive approach to Bill 194 that works towards making the digital world safer for all Ontarians, especially our most vulnerable and the future of this province: the youth and children.

The proposed legislation would help strengthen privacy protections, including those for children whose personal information is held by children’s aid societies. My ministry has complementary legislative proposals before this house through Bill 188, the Supporting Children’s Futures Act, 2024, that was introduced on April 17.

The work in both pieces of legislation is a result of collaboration and the valued input of children, youth and families with lived experience in the child and youth protection sector. And it’s also done in collaboration with partners like children aid societies and service providers as well as First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities from across the province. I would like to acknowledge and express my deepest gratitude for the incredible work that these partners do. Their tireless efforts have a profound and lifelong impact on the outcomes of vulnerable children and youth as they transition from care into adulthood.

Speaker, we are here today because our government will never leave anyone behind, and it is especially important that no child or youth is left behind, that they have every chance to thrive and succeed regardless of their circumstances or history. We have heard from sector partners and communities about the need to implement measures that will better protect the rights of children and youth, that will enhance the quality of out-of-home care services and improve the accountability of service providers. That’s why we have introduced a broad range of legislative proposals and a suite of regulatory and policy changes in both Bill 188 and Bill 194 that will support the futures of some of the most vulnerable children in our province.

Today, I want to outline for the House how these two bills, if passed, would result in a safer online space for Ontario’s young people. The children and youth services sector supports a wide range of individuals with diverse needs as well as their families and caregivers right across the province. For example, the sector supports those in need of protection, who have experienced or may be at risk of abuse or neglect. It also supports youth who are involved in the youth justice system, including those admitted into custody or detention to help them find their way and engage with their community. The sector empowers children to overcome barriers and reach their goals.

Our ministry’s legislation, Bill 188, would, if passed, modernize and standardize important safeguards throughout the child and youth services sector. This includes stronger enforcement tools to hold licensed out-of-home care operators accountable to keep children and youth safe and healthy. It will create a framework that would enhance privacy protections of those who were formerly involved in the child welfare system. This will be done by further restricting access to records comprised of their personal childhood histories, once regulations are developed.

The proposals would also enable individuals to speak freely about their lived experience and give them more control over what they want to share publicly. These circumstances will be outlined following further consultations with the sector. They would also provide authority to expand the information that individuals working with vulnerable children and youth can be required to provide. This will go beyond formal police record checks such as offence declarations.

The proposals would reinforce the requirement for children’s aid societies and out-of-home care licensees to explain the role of the Ombudsman and how to contact their office to children and youth. Finally, they would clarify that early childhood educators can be subject to an offence for failing to report child protection concerns to a children’s aid society. This would be similar to other professions such as teachers and social workers.

Speaker, this bill is just another step forward in the work of child welfare, but not the final step. We’ll continue to engage and learn from stakeholders, including youth with lived experience and many others, as we work to improve safety, supports and access to resources for children and youth who are served by the child protection system.

Our government wants children to have a healthy, safe and age-appropriate digital experience when engaging with public sector organizations like schools and children’s aid societies. The proposed amendments in Bill 194 would enable the creation of protections that could help prevent inappropriate data practices that affect children and ensure that software applications support the health and well-being of all students. For example, future regulations under this legislation could include age-appropriate standards for software programs on devices like laptops that are used by students every day at school. These initiatives better protect how children’s personal information is collected and used, and they align with proposed measures that we introduced in the Legislature just six weeks ago.

Taken together, Bill 188 and Bill 194 will strengthen digital and privacy protections for children and youth right across our province. As you can see, this bill is an important element of the government’s ongoing redesign of the child welfare system.

Now I would like to speak to the connection with the proposed work and the broader Child Welfare Redesign Strategy, as it’s key to understanding the context in which Bill 194’s reforms are being proposed. Speaker, my colleagues and members of this House will recall that in July 2020, our ministry introduced the Child Welfare Redesign Strategy. Our government wants children and youth in care and in out-of-home care settings to feel supported and to be set up for success in life. But every child and every youth deserves a safe, loving and stable home, regardless of their circumstances. Through the comprehensive redesign, our government is introducing new initiatives to improve the quality of out-of-home care.

We commend the many service providers who are de-voting their lives to support vulnerable children and youth. However, sometimes there are gaps, and our proposed changes seek to close these gaps.

Some of these changes have included developing a new framework for what out-of-home care looks like; increasing and enhancing oversight and accountability for out-of-home care; supporting that oversight by adding 20 new positions across the province to support the management, inspection and oversight of out-of-home care for children and youth; and launching the Ready, Set, Go Program, which provides youth in the care of children’s aid societies with the life skills they need, starting at the age of 13, and financial support when they leave care, up to the age of 23, so that they can focus on post-secondary, including the skilled trades, or pursuing employment.

Every child and every youth deserves a fair starting position in life, and our government is delivering that. We hit the ground running by consulting widely in the community with service providers to better serve children and youth. We did that by increasing the number of responsive inspections; by bolstering customary care arrangements to focus on family-based options like kinship and foster care, to ensure children and youth and families have a strong voice in decisions about their care; improving the quality of child welfare data to establish a baseline of common measures across children’s aid societies that can be reported publicly, as well as developing an outcomes-based performance measurement framework; releasing the children and young persons’ rights resource to help child and youth understand their rights and to use their voice; and of course, connecting youth leaving care with more supports to succeed.

We’ve backed this important work with significant investments of over $1.5 billion in the child welfare system to support Ontario’s 50 children’s aid societies, including 13 Indigenous children’s aid societies. That is a historic amount.

As you can see, the Supporting Children’s Futures Act and the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act are not the first steps that we have taken to improve child welfare, nor are they the last. These new proposals build on the work that the government has undertaken over the past several years and will continue to take in the coming years. Bill 194 is an important step towards achieving stronger data protections for all children. Together, we will continue to strengthen families and communities right across our province.

Madam Speaker, I would like to end by thanking my colleague the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and his team for all the great work in putting this bill forward.

I want to build upon the minister’s gratitude to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. Minister McCarthy has been a strong leader in this space, ensuring that we protect our children.

The introduction of legislation followed on the government’s landmark introduction of a comprehensive policy to remove distractions by eliminating vaping and cannabis within our school facilities, by restricting cellphone use during instructional time and by outright denying access to social media on school websites and devices, a common-sense provision supported overwhelmingly by leaders both in education and in law enforcement and by the parenting community of the province, who want government to strengthen the regime that protects kids online and in class from the harms—the constant, rising harms online—that can manifest in bullying, in trafficking and in self-harm.

I think we recognize inherently as the adults in the room the necessity to build those safeguards, and that’s why I am grateful to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery for bringing forth a program that helps to prevent—at its core, a legislative document that is designed to prevent and avert the types of tragedies we hear about too often in our society.

Madam Speaker, it is recognized that with the advent of AI, with 40% of jobs potentially being disrupted through the changes and disruptions of this technology, we need to really understand and recognize that the train has left the station in this space.

And so how do we protect kids, particularly when it comes to their privacy and data rights, which is a fundamental, sombre responsibility of government?

What I value is that most governments globally are seized with how to keep up with the rate of change in this space, and here we are in Ontario’s Legislature with legislation brought forth, demonstrating a sense of proactivity and a willingness to move at the speed of change in the market and the economy.

I’m grateful for this, because I was just in the United Kingdom representing Canada at the Canadian ministers of education council in my capacity as Chair. They held their global education forum. The number one issue seized with Ministers of Education in all regions of the world across the Commonwealth and beyond is the question of AI, the issue of academic integrity, of privacy and of online harm and how to create some conditionality around that technology to protect children.

That’s why the legislation, as it is proposed, gives the cabinet regulatory-making power to create those limitations and safeguards as a responsible government would do. It aligns with the vision of the minister and I and others in this House, including the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, about bringing forth the social media executives in the country with OPP, law enforcement, parents and school boards to look at how we can strengthen and protect kids online, particularly when it comes to issues of the algorithm and the impact it’s having on children and how it is very much a challenge for many young people in Ontario who are being targeted.

We also see issues related to privacy. The inappropriate distribution of images without consent, so many examples of tragedy on this space. So we need social media companies to work with us, and the government’s inclination is to collaborate instead of to litigate with the largest businesses and corporations, working with law enforcement and academia, to build a program that works for Canadian young people and for Ontario students. That’s why we have committed ourselves to doing that. In addition to strengthening knowledge in the curriculum on concepts of digital literacy and online citizenship, how do we create a more resilient young people where they’re able to understand fundamentally issues of misinformation, disinformation, issues related to the inaccurate presentation of concepts and really how do we strengthen the critical thinking skills that need to be front and centre of our young people’s knowledge in the classroom today?

So we understand these threats. We also recognize the strengths in having digital fluency as a graduation requirement. It’s why we have introduced in the curriculum mandatory learning years ago, and then we announced together we would strengthen that learning to help young people better understand AI and understand how to be cautionary users of AI. But with the recognition that we welcome the innovation that’s taking place online. We just simply seek to keep up with it.

When I have spoken to job creators, when we have spoken to parents and when we have spoken to young people, we understand that AI can be an incredibly powerful tool for learning. We can reimagine education through its use, but it will never supplement the necessity of human judgment and intelligence. You cannot replace that, the value of an in-person teacher, but AI can be complementary to it. So we have undertaken a commitment to bring forth safeguards to really clamp down on distractions to protect young people’s ability to learn and stay focused in classrooms.

I know that educators welcome this, school boards have endorsed this legislation, and most particularly leaders in cyber security have acknowledged the leadership of Ontario in the nation for stepping forward. This wouldn’t have been possible unless our government and the Premier was committed to the protection of children. For that, I just express gratitude. It is the sombre responsibility of governments to protect the most vulnerable, and I am grateful, in partnership with the minister, that we built a program, a legislative document, that sets out a road map that enhances the safety of children and protects our kids learning, playing and interacting online. That is what a responsible government would do.

I recognize the Minister of Education.

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the debate on the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act. The proposed legislation is an important step in our government’s efforts to continue strengthening cyber security and privacy measures that will better safeguard our significant investments in key services such as health care.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is making record investments in our health care system. We are taking bold and innovative action to build a better-connected health care system that is expanding access to key health services and growing our health care workforce for years to come while providing Ontarians with a better health care experience at every stage of life.

In an increasing digital world, digital tools have become vital to people’s health and well-being. Greater access to data will enable better health outcomes. A better health care experience also means connecting people to more digital and online tools that support more convenient care. Strong cyber security and privacy measures are an essential part of the ongoing work to implement new and improved digital health care tools and services.

The Ministry of Health and Ontario Health have been working in close partnership with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery to improve health care preparedness by improving the sharing of cyber intelligence across the health sector and the broader public sector and helping to strengthen defensive capabilities and system resilience.

We have also introduced, for the first time in Canadian health privacy legislation, administrative penalties into Ontario’s health privacy law, the Personal Health Information Protection Act. This provides the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario with the authority to impose administrative monetary penalties on contraveners of the act, and the regulation will do even more to protect the safety and privacy of Ontarians and the operational security of our health care sector.

Speaker, digital tools are a key part of our government’s commitment to build a health care system that focuses on the needs of patients. These tools save time, improve access to services and help people avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department. This includes the acceleration of an expanded centralized wait-list program for surgical and diagnostic services, which will help take the guesswork out of the referral process and provide faster access to care for patients.

This includes enhancing Health811, the tool through which Ontarians are able to call or chat online with a registered nurse and find the health care services and information they need in one easy-to-use website. Health811 receives up to 90,000 call or chat requests per month, and 95% of those requests are directed to an adviser or clinical staff member in less than one minute. Through Health811, people will be able to save time and better manage their health care journey by booking appointments with select health care providers no matter where they live and utilizing a symptom assessment tool to understand their health concerns and how to access care.

We’re further supporting more coordinated connected care that will help people transition between health care providers with the goal of making it easier for patients to transition between providers. Expanded remote virtual care programs will also help people across Ontario to avoid emergency department visits and support independent living. These programs help people with chronic and complex conditions connect remotely with a health care provider, increasing their access to care and improving self-management. They also support people who are recovering from surgery and transitioning home from the hospital to manage their conditions at home, where they’d prefer to be.

Our government is also making changes that will enable family doctors and other primary care providers to spend more time with their patients and less time on paperwork by expanding an innovative program focused on AI scribe technology to more than 150 primary care providers. This program safely utilizes artificial intelligence to automatically summarize or transcribe conversations into electronic medical notes, reducing the time and effort required, and physicians can spend more time on patient care and less time on clinical documentation. AI scribes will only be used during a visit if the patient gives their consent, and the privacy of patient health information will continue to be protected under the Personal Health Information Protection Act.

These tools and services build on the significant progress we’ve made in digital health. Over 300,000 health care providers have access to provincial digital health systems to obtain patient information such as lab results and hospital records from the provincial electronic record system. Digital and data tools are also playing a key role in enabling Ontario health teams to provide more connected and patient-focused care in communities across Ontario. We’ve invested more than $124 million in digital and virtual care projects for Ontario health teams and health service providers, benefiting over 6.1 million Ontarians.

Ontario has also improved the sharing of health records between hospitals and long-term-care homes, with support from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. This is saving up to 30 minute of administrative time each time a resident needs to go to the hospital. More than 30,000 digital record transfers have taken place. Over 4,000 providers are also offering online appointment booking across the province. In the last five years, an additional 11,800 health care providers joined the provincial e-services program to send e-referrals, providing people with faster access to care.

We’re also expanding e-services to digitize more referral and consultation forms so they can be conveniently shared electronically in a timely manner to obtain specialist advice. This often eliminates the need for an in-person specialist visit entirely.

We are improving the e-forms platform to use more digital tools that make it convenient for providers to auto-fill and share forms. And the “axe the fax” initiative will replace fax machines over the next few years to speed up diagnosis, referrals and treatment while improving the privacy of patients’ health information. These types of initiatives are aimed at putting patients before paperwork and will free up time for physicians.

Over the last few years, Ontario has become a hub of health innovation and technology. There are many examples of innovative, state-of-the-art care taking place across our health care system. We know that a modern, connected and convenient health system is a digital one and that digital tools are critical to supporting people’s health and well-being.

Our government will continue to work with our partners in digital health to enhance and expand digital services to ensure front-line providers and health care workers have the tools and resources to reduce their administrative burden and enable them to spend more time with patients while also empowering patients to better manage and have more control over their health and providing them with the right care in the right place.

I encourage all members to support Bill 194 and support the security and privacy of our health care system.

I recognize now the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health.

Further debate? If not, we’re going to go to questions.

We were done with the debate. I was confused about the continuation of the debate, but I said we were moving to questions, and he was the member who stood up for a question. So he’s asking the question.

I will ask the member to conclude their question.

Thank you to the minister for this important piece of legislation. I would like to highlight that, in today’s world, with AI coming strongly in place and more tools coming with AI in them, we need to protect the identity of, and data identity, keeping in mind as well that AI is coming and it’s going to be here to help—

Point of order, Madam Speaker.

Will this government acknowledge that they are undermining and jeopardizing the cyber security of the data held by public agencies in this province by their agenda of privatizing our public sector agencies?

When this lawsuit was brought forward, this government and its Premier stood solidly behind the social media platforms, and the Premier dismissed that lawsuit as nonsense. How can this government pretend that they are standing up for children’s safety online if they will not support at least an investigation in this court challenge to social media platforms?

I thank the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills for the question. Of course, that member was parliamentary assistant to the ministry for some time, even before I had the privilege of being appointed minister, so this piece of legislation is very much something that he has contributed to through his efforts.

Now, the bill was crafted in response to valid concerns raised by Ontarians. We recognize, and all Ontarians recognize, the incredible potential of AI—but its risks. So we begin with trust and, of course, the bill contains the words, “trust in the public sector.” Also, schedule 1, which contains the comprehensive definition of artificial intelligence, is the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act—once again, the word “trust.”

The AI definition that we have come up with in this bill is at section 1, subsection 1, paragraph (a) of schedule 1: “‘artificial intelligence system’ means, (a) a machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers from the input it receives in order to generate outputs.” That’s the key, and this can include things that influence physical or virtual environments.

So we are taking the lead. We have made the investments. We are getting the good advice within the ministry and across the public sector, and so much good advice has been provided. We are building that trust, and we’re getting it done for the children of our province—our future.

As the Minister of Education has said, and I completely agree, we prefer co-operation and conversation with all partners in the public and private sectors, rather than litigation. We choose co-operation and conversations over litigation. That’s why this proposed legislation aims to establish data protections for children and minors engaged with public sector organizations. Parents need to be confident that their children are protected. They certainly can be. We worked carefully with not just the Minister of Education and the—

This government has made a commitment to improve the way that government services are delivered. As our society and economy transition further into the digital realm, there’s growing expectation that government services follow suit and evolve to meet the demands of the modern world. Our government must recognize and ensure that government services are accessible to all and secure across a variety of delivery platforms. So, Speaker, can the minister please explain how the proposed legislation will enhance the delivery of services in a manner that is both responsive and reliable?

Point of order.

Thank you for the response. We’ll move to another question.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

And now I move to the member for Sudbury for the next member’s statement.

I thank the member for Brampton North for his care and concern and his excellent advocacy for his riding, and for being an excellent member of this government.

It begins with the definitions, and I already touched on the AI definition. I want to finish where I left off with respect to the answer to the question from the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills. The types of outputs in the AI definition include “predictions, content, recommendations or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments.” That’s section 1(1)(a).

And then the cyber security definition—these are comprehensive approaches to these key concepts: “‘cyber security’ means the security, continuity, confidentiality, integrity and availability of digital information and the infrastructure housing”—

This weekend, Waterloo region hosted the spring games of Special Olympics Ontario, and myself and my friend Corey attended the opening ceremonies. Frankly, we were blown away. It was held in Waterloo, originally scheduled prior to the pandemic but rescheduled, and incredibly well organized by Waterloo regional police, with Chief Mark Crowell heading it up for the first time. I was amazed by how organized everything was and the amount of passion and dedication that had gone into it.

We were able to witness the law enforcement torch run and athletes entering the arena to light the torch. The torch run is something that has been going on for years now to support the Special Olympics. It’s a really interesting partnership between police as sort of the community members that bring everything together.

The one thing that everybody kept saying as we watched the athletes come in was people saying that their faces hurt, because they couldn’t stop smiling, and I was one of those. In a time where people are somewhat dour and cynical, it was quite amazing to see a group of athletes who are so incredibly delighted to participate in something that they love and to have that much enthusiasm.

It also marked the retirement of CEO Glenn MacDonell, who has spent 35 years supporting Special Olympics Ontario. The love that these athletes had for him was just incredible to see. So thank you to Mr. MacDonell, thank you to WRPS and thank you to all of the amazing athletes that competed this weekend in Waterloo region.

I’m very lucky to have a beautiful niece and two beautiful nephews. Olivia is seven. Conor is going to be seven in September; he’s wrapping up lacrosse season and he’s about to start soccer season. And then Shea is going to be three in July, and he actually played his first soccer game. He really likes scoring goals, so we hope that bodes well for him.

But I’m nervous about the impacts of technology, AI and social media—what impacts those are going to have on my two nephews and my niece. Could the minister explain how this bill will help protect Conor, Shea and Olivia?

I rise today to speak about punishing and mercenary social assistance rates. Even after the 21.6% Harris cuts of the 1990s, people are far, far worse off now. Most disturbingly, these Conservative cuts carry judgment, creating anger and resentment towards those who simply require our help and assistance.

Conservatives try to strip away our communities’ desire and responsibility to care for the less fortunate. Poisonous words like “handout” deliberately infected common discourse. After 15 long years of Liberal rule, those on social assistance were worse off than during the Harris regime. Many empty, vacuous words were spoken, but Liberals only decided to help those who need it the most at the end of their rule with the Basic Income Pilot project. Instead of actually fixing the well-known problem with funding, they committed to a study.

Premier Ford promised that he would let the study carry out, but it didn’t take long until that promise was broken and it was shut down—shut down because Conservatives didn’t want to see the positive results. They took away hope. How can anyone stabilize their life when they’re consistently struggling and at risk?

Ontarians on social assistance live in deep, deep poverty and their monthly housing bills are often more than what they receive. This is before even attempting to buy food. It’s survival mode for most, if not all.

This government pats itself on the back for indexing people well below the poverty line. Maytree has found that Ontario Works recipients would need $17,000 more per year just to reach the poverty line.

I want to thank the United Way for their Make It Livable campaign to double social assistance rates. I call on the government members to remember our common humanity, think of those in desperate need and double social assistance rates now.

Good morning, Speaker.

On May 24 and May 25, Chatham-Kent celebrated a rare and unique ceremony in honour of one of our residents, George Osei, a native of Ghana and proud Ontarian.

In Ghana, the installation of a new chief is marked by a ceremony called an “enstoolment.” This is a significant event in the community. It signifies the transfer of power and authority to a new chief. The ceremony involves playing traditional music, song, dance, a community feast and the wearing of traditional attire. During the ceremony, the new chief is recognized and given symbols of authority, such as a crown and a traditional stool. The event is also a time to celebrate unity and reaffirmation of community values.

George Osei was originally from the town of Atebubu, Ghana, and he can trace his roots back to the region’s royal family. George has been a pillar of Chatham-Kent and has exemplified the virtues of leadership, integrity and dedication to his work and his family, committed to the advancement and the well-being of all people in our multicultural community.

Chatham-Kent has a long history of welcoming those from every corner of the world. Congratulations to George and your family. I thank you for contributing to Chatham-Kent’s rich tapestry as we continue to celebrate the history and traditions of all people who call beautiful Chatham-Kent and Ontario home.