Monday, April 20, 2026

The House met at 0900.

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The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Good morning. Let us pray.

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Prayers.

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Resuming the debate adjourned on April 13, 2026, on the motion that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government.

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The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

I recognize the member for Sudbury

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MPP Jamie West

I’m pleased to resume the debate on the budget. Before I start—and I hope nobody calls me out for this because it’s not speaking to the motion itself—on Wednesday it’s my parents’ anniversary. I don’t know if I’ll have the opportunity to speak ahead of time, so I just want to quickly thank my mom and my dad, Bev and Bill, for their seventh-year anniversary. Congratulations to them. A short anecdote: When I talk about my dad, I’m generally talking about my stepdad. Bill and my mom started dating when I was 16. Because they were both divorced, my dad had given her rings promising never to marry her, and then they eloped when my mom was 70 years old. I called her to ask why I wasn’t invited, and she said, “Jamie, I’m 70 years old. How many romantic things do you think I get to do?” Congratulations, again, to Bev and Bill for seven years of love. Today we’ve here to talk about the budget— Interjection.

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MPP Jamie West

The government House leader would love for me to not talk about the budget. I can understand why, because let’s look at the numbers in real total. This is something people in Ontario have to be really aware about. The debt in Ontario is $485 billion. That’s up more than 50% than it was in 2018. That’s an astronomical number. The deficit is $13.3 billion. It’s $6 billion more than it was last year. We are talking about big, big money in this. Two weeks ago, I was asking the member for Nickel Belt the question—I had a series of questions, and I asked if this was the Premier of Ontario or one of the students in my wife’s kindergarten class who was asking for a secret tunnel, a secret island in the middle of Lake Ontario, an extra Ferris wheel. I was trying to make her laugh, but at the same time I was trying to point out that this is nonsensical. All across Ontario, the people of Ontario are tightening their belts, trying to do more with less. When they go to the grocery stores, they’re absolutely being gouged, completely being ripped off at the grocery store. The Premier, meanwhile, is on a spending spree. His brother, best known for saying, “The party with the taxpayer’s money is over;” the Premier, now best known for saying, “Get on my private jet; I just picked it up for $30 million”—this is not fiscal responsibility. It simply isn’t. It doesn’t matter how many ads you have that come out saying, “We’re spending your money responsibly;” “We’re protecting Ontario”—we’re not. We’re not. Not “we,” we’re New Democrats; we are. Conservatives are not; the Premier is not. This is a bad use of your money. It’s not a great way to spend money. When you think about, in education—a lot of people are concerned about education. A lot of kids who have special needs who need special education—learning disabilities, like my kids; autism, like my friend Sean’s kids—are supposed to have EAs and extra support. That doesn’t exist for them. No matter how many times the Minister of Education gets up saying, “There’s record spending, record spending,” the real math is there has been a cut of $6.4 billion to education—$6.35 billion; I don’t want to overcharge—$6.35 billion to education. That’s why if you have a child with autism and special needs, you may be told by the school that your child has to be picked up that day: because they don’t have the support. That’s why we have overcrowded classrooms. That’s the reality of what’s going on here. So when you look at the budget and you think about people tightening their belts—let me give you a quick anecdote about this, actually. Pure Country does fundraising, or basically food raising, for the food bank, so at Christmastime they do something for the infant food bank, and then they do Camping for Cans after Christmas where they set up a campsite in the mall and they ask people to drop off food because food donation declines a lot after Christmas. I was going out there to see Josh and Coop, and I stopped on the way to pick up some donations. Then I thought, “Well, Josh and Coop are really big on the infant food bank so I’ll get some formula.” My kids are all adults, so I haven’t bought formula in a long time. A can of formula is about 50 bucks—50 bucks for a can of formula. So I looked this up: Formula has gone up 81.5% since the Premier was elected in 2018. Now, there’s always going to be inflation, but I like to think that if it’s 81.5%, you’re probably getting ripped off; you’re probably being gouged. So I got my two cans, and I gave them to Josh and Coop. I was thinking about it afterward because later today we’ll be doing an opposition day motion, and I was thinking about, as a new parent, if I needed infant formula—my kids were breastfed, but if it didn’t work, if we had to supplement and were using formula, and lot of people aren’t able to feed their child through breastfeeding—could I afford 50 bucks a week for formula for my child? The motion we have is actually about dynamic pricing. They use algorithms to track what you’re doing. They base the price—so I pay 50 bucks because I’m in my 50s, and I don’t buy infant formula that much. But if I was in my 20s and I was buying it for Sam, and they noticed that once or twice a week I was buying infant formula, it wouldn’t be 50 bucks for me; it would be $60; it would be $70. That’s the regular infant formula. Let’s say I needed a specialty formula for lactose intolerance, and they noticed that I started buying this once or twice a week. It’s about 60 bucks to 70 bucks normally. How much is the grocery store going to start charging me? Because if they’ve raised prices over 80% in the last eight years, they don’t care how expensive it is to feed your baby. They are going to gouge you and gouge you and gouge you. That’s why this afternoon we have a motion to outlaw dynamic pricing. The Premier, of course, is not a fan of this idea. The Premier said, “God bless Galen Weston”—his family owns a lot of the grocery chains—and he’s high-fiving him. Why not, right? Because I’m sure that if you’re able to raise grocery prices through the roof—you’re kidding yourself if you go to the grocery store and you don’t feel like you’re being ripped off. COVID ended a long time ago; the supply chains aren’t affected the same way. We’re getting ripped off, and we know we’re being ripped of because just a couple of days ago there was a frozen meat scandal, injecting water into the meat so it looks heavier than it actually is because you’re paying for water. Then when the investigative reporters weighed the meat, they found out that it wasn’t even the weight that was in there. And I can almost guarantee you that the penalty for these greedy grocers ripping people off in this way will be the exact same penalty that happened for the bread-fixing scandal with the Weston family: You’ll get a gift card to shop at their grocery store. This is not a government that’s tough on crime; this is a government that looks the other way. Let’s talk about crime, too, because buried in the budget bill on page 139—so we know this is incredibly important to the Premier, but it’s buried in the bill. It’s hidden in there, just as a short little paragraph. After nearly four decades without any major updates, we’ve got an update to the FOI. It sounds like it’s really helpful for you, but it’s not. The FOI, freedom of information, is why we know about the SDF scandal. It’s why we know how much money went to people who primarily donated to the Conservative Party. We know why the lowest-scoring people got the most amount of money. Oddly enough, people who scored better didn’t get money. It’s because of FOI that we know about the greenbelt grab. It’s because of FOI that the people of Ontario—the journalists, the random people—can ask for freedom of information about what’s coming out there. The Premier is really well known for saying, “Call me on my personal phone; I do business on my personal phone.” Well, when they did the investigation on the greenbelt—there’s an RCMP criminal investigation happening. When they did an investigation on the greenbelt scandal, they determined, number one, there was obsi— Interjections.

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MPP Jamie West

Obfuscation—I worked in a mine; we weren’t big on three-syllable words. Basically, what they did is they tried to hide it in emails. They used Gmail and other emails, not their official emails, and then they used code words for it. The RCMP was able to figure this out, and through the FOI investigation, they were able to figure this out. They also want to know what’s on the Premier’s personal cellphone. The Premier has been fighting this tooth and nail, and he has lost in court, and I think he lost his appeal in court. So now what he’s decided to do is bury it in the budget. When the Conservative government goes to talk and knock on doors, they’ll point out little berries and little treats that are in the budget and ignore the FOI part, but this is the most important part to the Premier: “You cannot have my personal cellphone.” He’s going to say, “Well I don’t want you to see my personal texts to my family.” The RCMP isn’t going to look that. They’re going to look at the parts—they’re going to find out if the Premier did something that is criminal and should be charged, or if he didn’t. I want to be clear: Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But I want to tell you that as New Democrats, if you are guilty of criminal behaviour, especially as an MPP, we want you held accountable. And I would say to my colleagues on the other side, because the majority of last week we talked a lot about bills having to do with keeping criminals behind bars, that we 100% believe that if the Premier ends up being charged with criminal behaviour that he should be kept behind bars. With 30 seconds on the end, I just want to thank everyone for their attention at the beginning, thank them for allowing me to say some kind words about my parents and their anniversary, and remind everybody that we are looking at $485 billion—50% more than it was when the Premier was elected in 2018—and a deficit that climbed by $6 billion just last year alone.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mr. Anthony Leardi

The member from Sudbury is from a mining district in the province of Ontario, so I’m going ask him a mining question. Some efforts are being made now to finally open up the Ring of Fire, which I think are very positive developments. I know that many people have waited a long time for the Ring of Fire to get opened up. It’s not open yet, but we are launching the progress towards building the access roads, and those undertakings are being led by First Nations. I think that’s a positive development as well. I think it’s going to assist the entire province of Ontario and be of particular assistance to the member for Sudbury’s riding. So I just wanted to open up the discussion and invite the member for Sudbury to offer his own observations with regard to mining and the Ring of Fire.

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MPP Jamie West

The Ring of Fire is very exciting, but the reality is, and the government side knows this as well, that it is easily a decade away before breaking ground. It’s very difficult to get there because the terrain—you have to build a road to the first mine site, which is a nickel mine. Then you’re going to use the profits from the nickel mine to build the path to the Ring of Fire where the chromite is. And so it’s a great idea, but it’s a long-term plan. There are a lot of mining projects in place already that are brownfield or greenfield. Canada Nickel for example: They have to move the highway because it’s so close to the highway. We could be investing short-term if we’re talking about protecting Ontario. There are a lot of mining organizations who have projects in the works, where we could actually be pulling ore out of the ground in a lot shorter time than what’s happening at the Ring of Fire, especially with the attack from Trump and the need for critical minerals.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Ms. Jessica Bell

I noticed in your presentation you talked about the astronomical amount of debt the Conservative government is putting us on track as having. This is happening at the same time as the Conservative government—Doug Ford—bought a $30-million plane—a $30-million gravy plane—at a time when we’re having difficulty having enough money for classrooms or hospitals. You were back in your constituency office this weekend. When you were talking to constituents, did they raise the issue of the gravy plane, and what did they say to you?

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MPP Jamie West

I think that’s an excellent question. I talked about the high debt and the deficit. It’s interesting because the Premier buying the gravy plane for $30 billion just makes absolutely no sense to people. Number one, in Sudbury, the most common thing people are talking about is Highway 69 and the three lives that were lost about two weeks ago and the frustration they have that the Premier promised in 2018, and has promised every election since then—but the budget has no money towards fixing Highway 69. Meanwhile, he can find $30 billion, seemingly like that, to buy a personal luxury plane. That’s the disconnect. The other thing when you talk about this debt is, if you look in the Premier’s office, there’s $8 million for 50 people to help the Premier in his office. I know the Premier’s office isn’t a regular office; there are a lot of things going on. But it seems like a ton of people. And when you think of people at home who are struggling to make ends meet, $8 million for people in your office and $30 billion for a luxury plane is not the way to go.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mr. Anthony Leardi

I have been anticipating the remarks today from the Minister of Long-Term Care. I know she has a lot of good things to say. In my own riding, I have two brand new developments with regard to long-term care. There are, for example, 160 new resident spots being developed in the town of Belle River and, in addition to that, another 160 spots being developed in the town of Amherstburg, for a total of approximately 320 new residential spots. It allows people to stay close to home and close to their families. I think that’s a great development. I think it’s a great investment from the province of Ontario, in part. I invite the member from Sudbury to offer his comments with regard to residences and long-term care.

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MPP Jamie West

Let me give some praise, actually, to the long-term-care minister and the parliamentary assistant because we had some issues with long-term care in Sudbury, not too far from my home, actually, and we were able to work with the minister and the parliamentary assistant about having improvements made in that long-term care. A lot of times people think it’s always confrontational, but we do get to work together very well. So thank you for that work. In terms of the budget, something I would like to see in the budget, actually, is an increase to long-term care, with the caveat that that money goes to front-line care, that it goes to the to the workers who spend their time with them to allow them to spend more time with people, more time helping them to get dressed, to bathe, to feed, and to the people cleaning the long-term-care facilities. We know private long-term care is a real money-maker for the investors, but a chunk of that money should make it to the front-line people and the people who are residents in long-term care.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Further questions.

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Ms. Sandy Shaw

So let’s talk about the Premier’s gravy plane. It makes perfect sense when we’re talking about the budget. The Premier seems to have no reluctance to spend the taxpayers’ money, and this is not the first time. I mean, he spent $2.2 billion on the Ontario Place redevelopment. Instead of that, he could have repaired the Gardiner Expressway and other public infrastructure, but that’s not what he chose to do. He decided to call an early election that cost the taxpayers $189 million. So let’s be clear with the Premier’s gravy plane. We see that he’s prepared to spend big, but he’s just not spending it on us. He’s spending it on his insiders, on his own personal luxury and comfort. So my question to you is, why do you think that the Premier feels entitled to spend the taxpayers’ money when we see a budget here that doesn’t provide the basic needs for the people of the province of Ontario?

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MPP Jamie West

Thank you to my colleague. You know, this gravy plane has made the news, and it’s funny because it got announced yesterday and then I think the day after that it was, “I’m selling it.” The reality is, if anyone has bought a car, you’re going to lose about 30% because you took it off the lot. First of all, I think the people of Ontario need to know how much money this is going to cost with the resell value. I think as well that he’s got to be transparent, and I think that the Premier should be accountable on the difference. This is ridiculous spending, right? He’s not Nelly, right? He’s not in first class sitting next to Vanna White. He’s got to be accountable for this. The other thing—you didn’t mention Therme, this luxury spa. Every resident in Sudbury is paying 400 bucks for a private luxury spa in downtown Toronto. Don’t kid yourself: You’re not going to get a coupon to be able to go in for a free facial or a visit. We are going to pay a private company. We’re going to give them a lease, I think, for 97 years. We’re going to give them a ton of money basically so they can make a profit off of all the money we invest.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mme Lucille Collard

Thank you to the member for Sudbury. I caught the first part of your speech, and I know you finished it today and I think you were touching on a lot of important points. Budgets are always about priorities, and every time there’s one, we hope that in our riding there’s going to be some relief into the important areas that need it. For me, I would have liked to see a lot more investment in mental health and addiction support services instead of sending people behind bars, which does nothing to help them. I would have liked to see money invested for services in our schools to help our teachers with kids with special needs, but also on the infrastructure. I would like to see portables disappear from our school board system. What would you like to have seen for Sudbury, particularly, in this budget?

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MPP Jamie West

I think that’s a great question and it’s hard to pick the thing, but I think the most visible thing that we’ve seen in all our communities—Conservative, Liberal, Green, independent, NDP—is the rise in people who are struggling with addictions and the rise of people who are homeless. It is an affordability issue. It has never been like this in my riding. Prior to the Premier being elected, we had some people who were struggling, but not this visible tent city that we’re seeing all over the place. You cannot lock up people. I remember, in my first term, talking to our chief of police, Paul Pedersen, and he said, basically, that the ability for someone to just magically quit without support isn’t going to be able to happen without funding and without places for people to get support.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Quick question.

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Mr. Deepak Anand

There’s not enough time, so I’m going to be quick, but before I be quick, I want to say congratulations to your parents for their anniversary. My mom lost her husband, my father, and I see the deterioration, so may God give them many years of togetherness. My question is simple: There is a 30% reduction in corporate income tax for small business. Do you support this for small business?

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MPP Jamie West

Absolutely. There are always little things that are good in the budget. My colleague—I forget his riding—once talked about, you know, the government sometimes will hold up your favourite candy bar, take it out of the wrapper, throw it in a garbage pail and then let it swirl around with the juice at the bottom and then take it out and say, “Don’t you like Snickers?” And that’s the reality for a lot of bills. There’s some good stuff in here, but you mix it with the garbage and it’s—

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Further debate?

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MPP Tyler Watt

I will be sharing my time with the amazing member from Scarborough–Guildwood. Je suis honoré de me lever aujourd’hui pour discuter du budget de l’Ontario et exprimer la grande déception que j’ai entendue de la part des résidents de ma circonscription de Nepean en ce qui concerne les soins de santé, l’abordabilité, l’éducation et le transport en commun. Ce gouvernement a complètement abandonné Nepean et Ottawa. It’s an honour to rise here today to discuss the budget motion. I’ve had some time to discuss with people in my riding to go over what is good, what is missing, and this will be a good opportunity to go over it over the next 10 minutes. Obviously, a big part of why I’m here is to advocate for health care. My lens, experience and expertise are as a nurse in our health care system, that we all know is really struggling right now with record wait times in hospitals, particularly in Ottawa, patients being treated in the hallways—we don’t even know how many at this point are being treated in hallways. There are a lot of concerns. One of the biggest things that we spend on in Ontario is health care, so with how much money we spend on health care, to still be getting the same or worse results to me shows that it’s not working. This is where we need a more upstream-thinking approach. We need to be investing more in prevention. We need to be investing more in community. We need to be investing more in access to primary care so we can prevent people from getting to the point of a health crisis, or just getting to a point where they need to use the emergency room because that’s the only thing that they have access to. In my riding of Nepean, walk-in clinics are scarce and often closed before noon. Over 30,000 people in my riding don’t have access to primary care through a nurse practitioner or a family doctor, and 30% of people who are using the emergency room at the Queensway Carleton Hospital are unattached to a nurse practitioner or family doctor, so often the emergency room is the only place that they can go. And often, people who actually need to be at the emergency room don’t want to go because they know that they’re going to be waiting there for an eternity. This will result in worse health ailments, further worsening their potential chronic health issues—things that they should be accessing health care for but they just don’t believe in the system anymore. There’s $3.4 billion over four years, but it includes $1.8 billion already committed in 2025, so that is net new funding of only $325 million this year. The two million connection target is the same as 2025—unchanged—and the 300-plus primary care teams is less specific than the 2025. The reality here is that the funding is being reprofiled, not expanded, certainly not getting more creative or listening to experts on the ground about how we can actually address this health care crisis. One of the biggest concerns that I’ve heard from people in my riding is the fact that this FOI business is in this budget. It does not belong there. This FOI is a major change to how this government operates. With all the scrutiny going on—we’ve got the gravy plane, the green belt, the $500-million parking lot next to a private spa; I could go on and on and on—where would we be without the ability to make these FOI requests, not only for members but for journalists and for the public? I will tell you, people are outraged over this FOI. They are not buying what this government is trying to sell, and they want this to be removed from the budget. People don’t understand why it’s being done in the first place, let alone why it is being slipped in and included in the budget. For a government that just says, “Just trust me; just trust me,” this goes against the grain with that. Why should I trust a government that is actively trying to hide and prevent what they’re actually doing behind closed doors? Why is the Premier fighting so hard to keep his personal cellphone record hidden from the public when he openly brags about giving his number out and conducting government business on his personal phone? So the FOI is a huge concern to myself and to people in Nepean. Really, with this budget, it’s a rinse and repeat of 2025. It completely lacks imagination. It’s the same as the previous year. It even has the exact same title; we couldn’t even give it a new title. I’ll tell you, things are tough right now. The affordability crisis is not being addressed in this budget. Our health care crisis, our education crisis, our housing crisis—what isn’t in crisis? After eight long years of this government, Ontarians and people in Nepean expect more, especially when we are spending, yet again, another record amount of money. So much for fiscal responsibility: We’re about to hit half a trillion dollars of debt. Another disappointment of mine was the lack of mention of nurse practitioners in this budget—not one mention of nurse practitioners. They are there, they are ready and they want to be a part of the public system. They’re calling on this government to bring them into the OHIP system and give them flexible funding models—because the loophole that the health minister herself has admitted to is creating a two-tier system in this province, where if you have a credit card or you have money, you can pay to access a nurse practitioner in a private clinic, and that is not the Ontario or the Canada that I know. So I certainly hope that we get to—we already missed the April 1 deadline; there’s no excuse for that. But I hope that we can actively work together and bring nurse practitioners into the public system as soon as possible, because it’s a huge part of how we can actually address the health care crisis that we’re facing. Talking about hospitals: big, flashy numbers, but it’s still a very broken system. I’m deeply disappointed there’s not one mention of the Queensway Carleton Hospital in this budget. This hospital treats over 50% of the people in the city of Ottawa and parts around it, and it has a fraction of the capacity of the Ottawa Hospital. With Queensway Carleton having one of the longest wait times and the least amount of space and resources, this government should be investing in that. The Queensway Carleton has a plan. They already have plans to expand their emergency department, which we desperately need. I implore the health minister to look at that plan on her desk and approve it, so we can finally start getting people in Ottawa and west Ottawa the care that they need, because right now the Ottawa Hospital is predicted to cut 400 jobs, 3% of its workforce. Patients are already in hallways. Staff warn patients will feel these cuts, and they certainly will. The Ontario Hospital Association says that investment is insufficient to cover inflationary pressures. Bruyère Health: five total cuts; 46 PSWs, nine RPNs. London Health Sciences: 200 RN positions eliminated over three to five years; cuts across pediatric, adult ambulatory and in-patient care; 563,000 hours of RN care eliminated. We’ve seen this pattern before, where, under Conservative governments, we start eliminating RN positions and we start replacing them with RPN positions. There is a difference of scope. There is a difference of education and experience there. When hospitals have to start eliminating RN positions, ultimately that will affect the care of the patients and the workers around. St. Joseph’s Health Centre: 62 jobs cut. Windsor Regional Hospital: 166 positions cut by mid-2026. Niagara Health: 98 jobs cut; hospitals cited significant pressures to make responsible use of resources. This is not the world-class health care system that the health minister likes to brag about. When hospitals are actively laying off and eliminating positions, that should be a blaring alarm for this government. There was very little mention—actually, no mention at all—about retention of health care workers in this budget. There are lots of plans, and I will tip my hat because recruitment plans and investments are great, but the retention factor is not there. What are we doing to show health care workers and front-line workers that we respect them, we hear them, we appreciate them? You have to back it up with money. You have to back it up with ensuring that they have health care themselves, that they have access to things like physiotherapy and mental health care. I’ve been chatting a lot about health care. My time is almost up, so I’m going to move on quickly to OSAP. We’ve heard from students, faculty and advocates across the province that they are not okay with what this government is doing to OSAP. There’s $500 million predicted to be cut in OSAP this year, on top of the huge change in the grant system, going from 85% to 25%, telling students and young people that they need to take on more debt if they want to get an education or the training to get into the workforce here in Ontario, if they stay at all. Many tell me they want to get out of here because they feel hopeless. When the Premier has spent $29 million on a private jet but you’re telling students, “No, you need to take on more debt,” it shakes them. It tells them, “You are not important.” This government should be sending a different message. We want to give them a message of hope, that we hear you, that we’re here for you and we’re actually going to do things that will help you. There was very little mention of Ottawa in this budget. The government promised to upload the Ottawa LRT in the fun early winter election that we had, and still no signs of that. This would actually be huge for the city of Ottawa, and it would take off a huge amount of financial pressure and allow them to focus on many other needs in the city of Ottawa. So I’m hoping to hear, despite it not being mentioned in the budget, that we will be getting the LRT uploaded. I’m going to end there and pass it over to my colleague from Scarborough–Guildwood.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

I recognize the member from Scarborough–Guildwood.

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MPP Andrea Hazell

Thank you to my wonderful colleague from Nepean for really sharing some tough information on health care. I will continue. Good morning, Speaker and good morning, everyone. I’m very happy to be here this morning. I’m grateful for the opportunity to rise in this honourable House to address the 2026 budget. Speaker, this is the eighth year in a row this government has delivered a budget of broken promises. The people of Ontario are listening, they’re seeing and they’re now fighting back because they’re being pushed to a breaking point with the current affordability crisis, health care crisis, education crisis, housing crisis, mental health and addiction crisis, homelessness crisis and a major increase in crime. Is this the government we want to continue to be in power while he pursues private, out-of-touch priorities with your hard-earned tax dollars and continuously fails to listen to Ontarians, especially the ones that voted him in? Speaker, his mega spa at Ontario Place is costing us billions of dollars. His vision tunnel under the 401 will cost Ontarians over $100 billion—also, moving the Metro Toronto Convention Centre into his mega spa and expanding Billy Bishop airport to, now we understand, land his private jet. It’s all about Doug Ford. And the latest slap in the face of Ontarians: He has the audacity to decide to purchase a luxurious jet. While families struggle to afford groceries and gas, he bought a $28.9-million private jet—shame. This Premier wants to live like a billionaire with our hard-earned tax dollars. Only after the people of Ontario stood up and spoke out against this government’s reckless spending, with no heart for the pain and suffering that so many families are experiencing through the horrible affordability crisis, he decided to backtrack on his decision. I want to mention something: We all know that the best time for a government to announce bad news is on the weekend. This is exactly what happened. We’re not stupid. The people of Ontario elected all of us to be their voice. And we’re going to push back today and we’re going to be talking about it today, so we’re not going to let that fly. Ontarians may be left holding a liability if it’s sold at a loss, or we might not hear the end of it because of the FOI situation. This government is also pulling anti-freedom-of-information changes from committee to ram them through in secret. With this government, there will be no transparency and no accountability—nothing here, Speaker. But let me be clear: Ontario cannot afford a Premier who hides decisions, spends recklessly and puts luxury over the 16 million people that call Ontario home. This government has cut millions of dollars from half of its ministries while the government’s executive offices have grown by 243% since 2018. This budget mentioned alcohol 74 times—now we know where their focus is—and 24 times in the 2025 budget—come on. That tells you everything about this government’s priorities. Speaker, major cuts to more than half of the ministries are being made to pay for his “Captain Canada” ads while health care is on the brink of collapse—$1.1 billion in additional hospital funding for 2026-27. Single-year funding increases make it impossible for hospitals to plan for their financial obligations. Current health care funding is barely keeping pace with inflation while demand continues to grow. Health care is at its limit: Hospitals are in financial distress, ERs are closing and wait-times are rising. Some 2.5 million Ontarians and counting still do not have a family doctor. People are paying out-of-pocket to see nurse practitioners because they can’t find a family doctor. And the government is choosing not to publicly fund that care; that’s a policy choice. Hospitals are calling for a $1-billion emergency funding boost after years of underfunding. This budget does not meet the moment. Some 73,000 patients are waiting longer than medically recommended for surgery. Do you know what I say to the people in my riding? I say, “Try to eat healthy, try to exercise, because this is not the time for anyone to get sick and go into a hospital.” Surgical backlogs have doubled. Over 2,000 patients are treated in hallways daily. Some 23,000 Canadians died on a waiting list in a year. And again, this government promised to end hallway health care eight years ago. What’s happening with hallway health care? This is worse than my Caribbean country, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, when you really look at hallway medicine. At least they take you in a room to take care of you. Speaker, treating patients in hallways—to me, it’s the government’s new normal. He has failed again in this year’s budget to properly fund the health care system. I want to quickly focus on mental health. This government has missed the mark in the budget to properly fund the crisis, especially a crisis that is heavily weighing on our young people and increasing the unhoused population. The mental health and addictions system in Ontario is experiencing a severe crisis: Record demand for services and significant staffing shortages are leading to a projected funding gap in this year’s budget. Nearly 846,000 Ontarians sought community mental health services, a 45% increase in a single year. However, the sector has received only one base funding increase in over a decade. Wait times for anyone accessing mental health care are almost 23 months for treatment. When I talk about young people and what they are going through in Ontario, it makes me sad, because I have three. They can’t buy a house. There are no jobs. They’re doing everything we’re asking them to do: to go to school, to finish their post-secondary education, to find a job, to save, to get married, to buy a house, wanting to start a family. This government is failing the young people in Ontario. They are leaving Ontario in droves. Because they are suffering, they’re going through a mental health crisis, and this government is still failing them on the mental crisis and the mental illnesses that they are experiencing. Guess where the government is throwing them? Into jail. Let’s stock up the jails. Speaker, it hurts, and I will die fighting for young people in Ontario, Scarborough–Guildwood and Scarborough.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta

I just wanted to begin by saying hi to my grandmother, who’s watching from Poland.

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Remarks in Polish.

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And my question is for the member from Nepean—and he’s a registered nurse, just like me, and I know he takes up shifts. I was actually in my local ER—Etobicoke General—this past Friday, and it just happened to be that there were no hallway patients that day, but of course that’s only one little sample.

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As the member knows, we are investing $1.1 billion into hospitals in this budget, as well as over $60 billion to hospital infrastructure. My question is simple: Does the member support these investments into our hospitals?

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MPP Tyler Watt

Thank you to my colleague for that question. It’s so great seeing another RN here in the House. I’ve also recently worked in emerg, and, unfortunately, I had the complete opposite experience, where the hallways were packed. What really concerned me was that it felt almost normal to them. I noticed a lot of them were on their phones and they didn’t notice all of the traffic that was going through the hallway, and I just felt like there was no dignity there. It’s just chaos, but chaos that we’re used to. To your question: Yes, I absolutely support more funding in hospitals, 100%. They need it. But to me, it’s like putting a band-aid on a massively bleeding wound. That’s why I talked about the much-needed investments in the community. We need to be investing in prevention and access and things like mental health care that my colleague spoke so greatly about.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mr. Chris Glover

I appreciate the comments today from my Liberal colleagues over here. I’ll ask the member from Nepean: You were talking about hallway medicine and your experience with hallway medicine. Mine is that my brother went to the hospital two years ago, and he spent the first 12 days in the hallway. They even had numbers on the wall. For each of the gurneys, they had a number. It’s not like this is a temporary thing; this is where people are actually being treated. And the lack of dignity—eventually, he got into an alcove, and there was some curtain so that when he needed some help, he could have a little bit of privacy. Can you talk about your experience as a nurse with hallway medicine and why this government needs to address the thousand patients who are currently in hallways in Ontario right now?

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MPP Tyler Watt

Thank you to my colleague for that question and sharing that really sad story. It’s unacceptable that anyone is ever treated in a hallway, let alone 12 days. There’s absolutely no dignity there. It’s certainly not a place for nurses or care workers to be able to provide quality and good care. We do our best with the little resources that we have. But the fact that yes, hallway beds—not so much a temporary thing anymore. In fact, they are numbered, but they’re also in the charting system now. Those are now beds that are in the system because that’s the norm now. There is no room. So we need to be expanding emergency rooms, but we also need to be investing in those solutions to prevent people from getting there, like your brother.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mr. Jonathan Tsao

My question is for the member from Scarborough–Guildwood. I want to start by thanking her for so accurately and vividly describing the failures of this budget and the failures of this government to support young people across our province, and specifically in Scarborough. As she mentioned, young people are being let down at record levels by this failing government. They can’t afford a house. They can’t get a job. They have done everything right, but this government refuses to support them. So my question to my honourable colleague would be, considering this budget doesn’t spend anything on these young people who are doing all the right things, why do you think the government felt it was okay to spend $30 million on a private jet plane for the Premier?

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MPP Andrea Hazell

Thank you to my colleague for that amazing question. I love it. As I said in my presentation, we now know where this government’s priorities are. It’s not with the people in Ontario, and especially it’s not with the young people. We have seen all across Ontario that every system that should be giving us a quality life is failing—failing big time, with a capped F on there—on every file that this government is taking care of. We look at unemployment: Unemployment in Scarborough alone makes up 17% of the unemployment rate in Toronto. Young people cannot find jobs. Young people are not getting a fair shot at opportunity. This government has left them to continuously fail year over year over year. We now see droves of young people leaving Ontario.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mr. Joseph Racinsky

Thanks to the members for their comments on the budget this morning. My question is for the member from Scarborough–Guildwood. The member mentioned a few topics in her remarks. One thing she didn’t really talk about was infrastructure—public transit, specifically. In page 16 of the budget, we’re building the Scarborough extension subway. I just want to ask the member if she supports that, and will she support the budget?

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MPP Andrea Hazell

I want to thank my colleague across the floor here for the question. It’s a very good question. I always stand up and debate and support transportation where it’s needed. Scarborough has been left behind where connectivity is concerned. So I will support a government that is transparent, that is accountable for the monies that they are overspending on every transit project while all the files in this year’s budget have been cut. So we don’t know where this government’s priorities are. It took how many years to open the Eglinton East LRT? The ridership is down. The government opened it and never looked back. So I do support transportation where it is needed but not the waste of the people’s tax dollars.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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MPP Alexa Gilmour

It’s always a privilege and honour to rise on behalf of the people of Parkdale–High Park. I want to thank my Liberal colleagues for their comments on the budget. For me, I’m very worried about the changes to the freedom-of-information laws that are in this budget, just tucked in there like a surprise Easter egg. I mean, transparency is key to democracy regardless of which party is in power. It helps ensure that the government is acting in the best interest of all Ontarians, not just wealthy donors behind closed doors. And now that the Premier has lost his court case on his phone, which he gives out publicly all the time—he’s shielding himself. My question to my colleagues is, in what way does hiding behind closed doors in any way serve the people of Ontario?

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MPP Andrea Hazell

Thank you for that question. It’s always surprising to me that the government, this Premier, thinks that they can always get away with anything that they’ve tabled. Or, as my colleague said, sweep it in the budget like an Easter egg. We are reading. We are making sure that we are here representing Ontarians. So we don’t know what’s hiding from the greenbelt. We don’t know what’s in there that is hiding from Ontario Place. This government has so many yellow tapes around it that we do not know what this government is hiding. So we will push for that FOI to be reversed, just like how we’ve pushed and he is selling back that $28.9-million jet.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

I recognize the member from Don Valley North.

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Mr. Jonathan Tsao

Speaker, I want to thank my honourable colleague, because I don’t think Scarborough has had such a great champion in this House ever before. So thank you for everything you do, and I look forward to having another Liberal member in here representing the Scarborough area soon. Speaker, I looked through the numbers. Scarborough is represented by four PC MPPs— Interjections.

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Mr. Jonathan Tsao

No, it’s great. You won those seats. But we have to wonder—and this is my question to my honourable colleague: Considering the PCs have four seats and four representatives in Scarborough, why does this government continue to ignore and neglect this entire part of the city?

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MPP Andrea Hazell

I love that question because—I’m going to educate my colleagues across the floor. Food banks in Ontario are up 86%. Food banks in Scarborough are up 38%. So 8.7 million food bank visits across Ontario—1.9 million of those are from Scarborough, okay? So that’s how high the number is. In my colleague’s riding, 32% of children in Scarborough–Agincourt are going hungry, 31% in—

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Further debate?

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Mr. Mike Schreiner

It’s always an honour to rise today and speak to the government’s budget motion. Speaker, budgets reflect values, and the values of the Ontario Green Party are to build an Ontario that cares for each other. But unfortunately, when you look at this budget, it fails to invest in our systems of care: —inflation-adjusted cuts to the Ministry of Community and Social Services of 2.4% next year, 1.3% the following year; —inflation-adjusted cuts to post-secondary education: 1.9% next year, 10.6% the following year, including a major cut to OSAP, which will put a mountain of debt onto young people; —our health care sector: a slight increase of 0.5% next year and then a 1.6% inflation-adjusted cut the following year; —education: a 3.6% inflation-adjusted cut next year, 1% the following year. Over and over again, this budget fails to invest in our systems of care so that we actually build a caring Ontario, which I think is one of the primary responsibilities of government. What this budget does talk a lot about: —a tunnel under the 401; —a fantasy island for a new convention centre; —expansion of the island airport, which we now know will help—well, would have helped—facilitate the landing and takeoff of the Premier’s private luxury jet; and —subsidies for a spa on Toronto’s waterfront. If you live in Toronto, a lot of money is being thrown around for things that even people in Toronto really don’t want, but for those of us who live outside of Toronto, we’re saying, “What about rural communities that are seeing hospital emergency departments closed? What about reducing levels of homelessness? What about roads and bridges in communities across the province that aren’t getting the funding they need to keep them open and maintained?” I want to remind the Premier and the government there’s a whole other province out there that desperately needs investments in order to build our economy and their communities and to take care of people. The number one issue people come into my office about is the housing affordability crisis and how it’s driving the affordability crisis. People tell me they’re so tired—tired of working hard and still struggling to buy groceries, pay the mortgage, pay the rent, put food on the table and make ends meet. This budget fails the moment. Housing starts are at 64,500 next year, when we need a minimum of 150,000 just to build enough homes to house the people in this province. Maybe the saddest component of this budget is that at a time when 85,000 people are experiencing homelessness in the province of Ontario—an unprecedented number—this budget builds 425 supportive housing spaces over three years, 141 a year, when there are 85,000 people desperate for a safe, affordable place to call home. Now the government is going to spend billions on building jails, and if you look at the numbers, it costs $3.5 million to build a bed in a jail. Do you know how much it costs to build a bed to house somebody who’s homeless? Just $125,000 a year. Imagine what we could do with that money for the people of Ontario. When it comes to operating, do you know how much it costs to operate a bed in a jail on an annualized basis? Some $180,000 a year. Do you know how much it would cost to provide housing with mental health and addictions supports for a person in a year? Just $10,000. Why doesn’t the government just do the fiscally responsible thing and the humane thing and actually invest in housing people? Housing starts are at all-time lows, housing prices at all-time highs, yet the government continues to say no to legalizing multiplexes and mid-rises—as a matter of fact, their own housing task force says it’s the fastest way to quickly build homes that people can afford, in the communities they know and love, without paving over our farmland and our wetlands in the places we love in this province. As a matter of fact, we’re losing 319 acres of farmland each and every day in this province, primarily due to expensive, low-density sprawl. Why don’t we protect that land and protect our $52-billion agri-food sector? The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is here today, and one of their asks is for this province to invest in agri-food processing. Now, there’s a lot of investment and support for the auto sector, so I’ll give the government credit. I’ll tell you, the largest employer in my riding is in auto parts manufacturing, so I will support the auto sector. But why don’t we support the agri-food processing sector that contributes $15 billion to the provincial economy? That’s 15% of the manufacturing GDP. It employs 116,700 people, 15% of our manufacturing sector jobs. That would help secure our food security, our food sovereignty. I would argue that at a time when our economy is under attack from south of the border, protecting our food security and food sovereignty is more important now than ever. So let’s build homes that people can afford in the communities they know and love, close to where they work, close to where they spend time with their family, by legalizing gentle-density missing-middle housing; and protect our farmland, which is so critically important to our economy. Young people are wondering if they’ll ever be able to own a home due to this government’s housing crisis. But now they’re wondering if, financially, it’s even going to be possible, because this government now has cut OSAP, which means students are going to graduate with more debt. The Premier has money for his tunnel. He has money for his private luxury jet. But he doesn’t have money to support young people graduating without mountains of debt on their back, who would be the workers who are going to drive our economic prosperity, moving forward. I can’t think of something better to invest in than investing in our young people, their future and how it will benefit our economy. Speaker, this past weekend, I was at a Community of Hearts fundraiser in my community for people with developmental disabilities. People with developmental disabilities, people living on ODSP, people with autism are begging this government for support—60,000 children with autism on a wait-list. We have group homes for developmentally disabled adults being sold off, and yet there’ll be an inflation-adjusted cut to the ministry. I always say the minister has the biggest heart, but we need the finance minister to give him a wallet to actually invest in caring for people in our communities. It’s the same thing with mental health: 28,000 young people on a waiting list to access mental health services that can be as long as two and a half years.

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Interjection

Shame.

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Mr. Mike Schreiner

Yes, it’s shameful. The member is right. Yet this government wants to spend billions on a tunnel under the 401 instead of investing in our children’s future. People are struggling right now, especially with gas prices going through the roof. I’ll give the government credit: They brought in a gas tax that will save people $115 a year. But why don’t they actually bring back electric vehicle rebates to make electric vehicles affordable for people so they can save over $3,000 a year by not having to go to the gas pump? They can fill their vehicle up with electricity at the price of a cup of coffee. We have solutions to the affordability crisis. We can make driving and transit cheaper, housing affordable. We have solutions to the crisis in caring if this government would actually invest in our systems of care. But unfortunately, this budget fails to deliver. The Ontario Greens will continue to fight to put people over the wealthy and well-connected.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Mr. Matthew Rae

I’m really eager to ask the member from Guelph questions this morning, Speaker. I appreciate the member from Guelph for his speech. I get along with member from Guelph. I know he was mentioning a variety of things included in the budget and stuff he would like to include in the budget. Obviously, in the budget, there is a lot of mention of the Ring of Fire and the Critical Minerals Strategy in northern Ontario. I know I represent a southwestern Ontario riding. People may not think it doesn’t benefit Perth–Wellington, but it actually does because there are a lot of companies now switching from maybe providing auto parts to providing parts for some of the big machinery used in the Ring of Fire. So will the member opposite support our government’s initiatives to unlock the Ring of Fire, make Ontario stronger and Canada stronger?

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Mr. Mike Schreiner

I certainly appreciate questions from the member for Perth–Wellington. We share parts of Wellington county with the member from Wellington–Halton Hills and appreciate the fact that we’re able to work across party lines to get things done for people in our ridings. The Ontario Greens absolutely recognize the importance of critical minerals as we invest in the green energy transition. We’re just calling on the government to do it right: to have free, informed prior consent with First Nations before moving forward; to actually have a comprehensive land use plan in place as we develop the Ring of Fire to ensure that it’s done in a sustainable way that doesn’t negatively affect the peatlands and the waters of that area. If you want to move fast on the Ring of Fire, you have to do your homework. I don’t think the government has done their homework yet, Speaker.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Ms. Peggy Sattler

I appreciated the comments from the member for Guelph. I wonder if he looked through that 250-page budget document that the Conservatives presented and if he found any mention of a $30-million jet that was going to be purchased and outfitted for the Premier. The other thing that was missing from that document is any mention of “grocery” or “groceries” at a time when grocery prices have increased 30% in just the last five years. We will be soon debating a motion about ending predatory pricing. I wondered if the member could talk about what measures the government could take to deal with the rising cost of groceries.

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Mr. Mike Schreiner

I appreciate the member from London’s question. I saw no mention of the private luxury jet in the budget. There was mention of extending the runway at Billy Bishop airport, which would have accommodated the Premier’s private luxury jet. Maybe that’s why we also have in the budget a cancellation of the freedom-of-information process, because this government has had a number of scandals, like the $8.3-billion greenbelt scandal, the $2.5-billion skills development scandal, now planegate, and I think the Premier wants to hide that from us. So I would call on the government: Let’s have open, transparent and honest government by maintaining freedom-of-information access so that people of Ontario—

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Questions?

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Hon. Todd J. McCarthy

Mr. Speaker, for the member from Guelph: While other provinces are running record deficits while raising taxes and cutting public sector jobs, Ontario has chosen a different path. Thanks to prudent fiscal management, Ontario is one of the few provinces in Canada with a path to balance: one of the lowest deficits relative to GDP and it has received two credit rating upgrades, maintaining AA ratings across all four major agencies for the first time in two decades. So while the NDP opposite was supporting the Liberal government in an infrastructure deficit, we’re investing in infrastructure like never before to build the Ontario—

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

I recognize the member from Guelph.

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Mr. Mike Schreiner

Speaker, I believe the member opposite—I appreciate the question—is reading a completely different budget than I’m reading. Record deficits and record under-spending: Ontario is dead last for per capita funding for health care, dead last for per capita funding for post-secondary education, dead last for per capita funding in social services. This government spends more and delivers less for the people of Ontario because their priorities are out of whack. They would rather spend billions on tunnels, on fantasy islands for convention centres, on airport expansions rather than on actually investing in the people of Ontario.

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

Further debate?

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Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta

Good morning. It is an honour to rise in the House today in support of the 2026 Ontario budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario. This is a reflection of how our government chooses to respond in a moment that matters and share our plan with the people of this province, the plan for our economy and for the future that we are building together—because the reality is clear: The world has changed, and Ontarians can feel it in every aspect of life. We feel it when we pay our bills. We feel it when we think about our future and the future of our children. Economic pressures are not abstract concepts discussed in reports and on the news. They are real, they are immediate and they are being felt every single day by families across Ontario. In moments like this, people are not looking for hesitation; they are looking for leadership, and that is precisely what this budget delivers: a plan built on one idea—the idea that protecting Ontario means protecting both our economy and the services we all rely on, because one cannot exist without the other. You cannot have strong hospitals without a strong economy. You cannot have strong long-term care without a strong workforce, and you cannot build a strong future if you are not prepared to invest in it, and that is exactly what this government is doing. Mr. Speaker, many families, including mine, came to Canada from other parts of the world and made Canada our new home. Many settled in Mississauga, one of the most culturally rich, vibrant and thriving cities in Ontario. We came here with an aspiration of a better life. We came here often with just a few dollars in our pocket, a suitcase or two, but a heart full of hope and a mind full of dreams. We came here for safety. We came here for opportunity. We came here for the ability to worship freely and without persecution. We came here with the idea of working hard so that our children could have a better future and more opportunities and freedoms than we did. And we came here with gratitude for these opportunities Canada afforded us with an honest and sincere commitment to the true north, strong and free, to work hard each and every day to build a Canada we can all be proud of. Let’s talk about that Canadian dream: For many, that dream starts with getting an education. For our young people, that means working hard, yes, showing up to class, studying, learning about personal finance and responsibilities, and yes, investing into your future. With a good education comes a good, well-paying job with a strong paycheque, whether it is in health care, in entrepreneurship, the trades, the service industry or manufacturing. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to opportunities our province has to offer. But Mr. Speaker, one of the most important aspects of that Canadian dream is what? It’s the dream of home ownership, and, unfortunately, housing continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing our province today. That is why this government is taking action, because housing affordability is not just about prices; it is about growing the economy and protecting construction jobs across the province. It is about giving people the chance to build a life here in Ontario. One concrete way that this budget helps Ontarians do that is by removing the HST on new-home purchases valued up to $1 million, with rebates available for higher-priced homes or condominiums. This means putting up to $130,000 back into the pockets of homebuyers, relieving young families just trying to break into the housing market. This is real support for working families who need our support making the dream of home ownership more than just a dream but a real possibility. Through this initiative, we aim to stimulate roughly 8,000 needed housing starts and create 21,000 construction jobs. I am going to now pivot to long-term care since I only have a few minutes left. Long-term care is not just about numbers on a page, compliance statistics and various reports, the numbers of beds and homes that we are building. Long-term care, at its heart, is about people. It is about creating memories and meaning. It is about purpose and passion. It is about care, and it is about love. Long-term care is the staff working tirelessly every day, from nurses to personal support workers to other support personnel, who make sure our loved ones are safe and taken care of in the most vulnerable years of their lives. It is about the parents, grandparents and loved ones who shape our lives, who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. When families entrust their care to the wonderful staff at long-term care, they expect all of us to work together to deliver. That expectation is not only reasonable, but something we have a duty to meet. As a nurse and as a minister, I feel personally responsible for all 80,000 residents that have been entrusted to my care. I recently visited three homes and wanted to share some anecdotes with you to illuminate the progress that we are doing. Berkshire Care Centre in Windsor, where I met with a number of incredible staff, including nurses and social workers, who gave me a presentation about the success that they have seen with our expansion of behavioural specialized units: Through their work and the increased funding, they are able to treat and stabilize residents with difficult responsive behaviours that could not otherwise live safely in a traditional long-term-care home. With tears in their eyes, they told me a story of a resident who had severe and unmanageable behaviours upon admission, and now, after a few months of being treated in the BSU, their spouse is able to come and actually take them home for the weekend. They told me that we have returned the wife to that spouse: “She was lost, and now I found her again.” Those were the words of that family member. I also visited Extendicare Riverside Place in Windsor, where I met Dickie, a former nurse and a president of the resident council. It is true: once a nurse, forever a nurse, so Dickie jumped on the opportunity to advocate for other residents and give me some great advice. She told me about a great number of residents coming in with complex mental health issues who need specialized care and training to deliver that care. But I know that we’re running out of time, so to conclude, I’m just so proud to continue leading this ministry that provides excellent care—

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The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee)

I am very sorry to interrupt. The time is now 10:15. There has been eight hours of debate on this motion. Pursuant to standing order 61(d) I am now required to put the question. On March 26, 2026, Mr. Bethlenfalvy moved, seconded by Mr. Ford, that this House approves, in general, the budgetary policy of the government. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no. All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.” All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.” In my opinion, the ayes have it. A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred until the next instance of deferred votes.

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Vote deferred.

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Hon. Ernie Hardeman

It’s not every day that I get to recognize a remarkable Oxford-based artist whose work now hangs on the walls at Queen’s Park. That’s why I’m excited that Stella Jurgen’s piece, titled Autumn Leaves, was selected to be on display in the Dining Room as part of the 2026 Art à la Carte Program. The painting features a foggy scene with a canoe floating on the waters of Tillsonburg’s Lake Lisgar around all the fall colours. It really shows off the beauty of one of Tillsonburg’s most well-known landmarks. While Stella is relatively new to Oxford, she has already made a big mark. Born in Argentina and raised in Portugal, she came to Canada later in life, moving around the GTA with her husband, Norm, until settling in Tillsonburg three years ago. Although she has painted most of her life, it was only after she arrived in Tillsonburg that she began to create landscapes, inspired by the natural beauty around her. Since then, she has become known for depicting scenes from around the town. Her work can be found throughout the community: a mural on the wall at Tillsonburg airport, another in the town library and several pieces in the permanent display at the Tillsonburg Town Centre. It’s great to see a piece of Oxford featured in the dining room, where people gather every day. Congratulations, Stella, on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for capturing the beauty of our community.

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Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens

In 2026, we mark 150 years since St. Catharines was officially incorporated as a city on May 1, 1876. While that date is significant, the story of this community reaches far deeper. Long before incorporation, this land bore the footsteps of the first Indigenous peoples whose connection to the land continues to guide us today, and a powerful place in history as a refuge for freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad, offering safety, dignity and a chance at a new life. As the city grew, it became known as a hub of industry and hard work. From its roots along the Welland Canal to its legacy as an automotive town, generations of workers helped build this city into what it is today. It is the blue-collar spirit, the people who show up every day, work hard and look out for one another that truly make St. Catharines tick. From our waterways to our vineyards to our thriving small businesses, our iconic Meridian Centre and our fine performing arts centre, St. Catharines stands as the largest economic hub in the whole Niagara region, a true testament to the strength and the resilience of our community. As we celebrate 150 years, we honour the people who built this city and recommit to building a future that is inclusive, that is strong and full of opportunity. Happy 150th birthday, St. Catharines.

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Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon

Good morning, Speaker. I always like to showcase beautiful Beaches–East York at Queen’s Park, and today is no different. Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club is located in the heart of the beach, nestled between majestic Lake Ontario and glorious Kew Gardens. This year, we are all very excited to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary. With this kind of incredible history, it’s no wonder they rank sixth-largest out of the 107 clubs in Ontario. In addition to lawn bowling and croquet, the 177 energetic and enthusiastic members also enjoy darts, table tennis and tai chi in the winter months because they can never ever sit still. A warm welcome, a smiling face, a vibrant atmosphere and an idyllic setting are all key ingredients that make Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club the absolute best in Ontario. Doubling of the membership since 2018 proves how vital these low-impact social hubs are for people looking to stay active and learn a new skill. The club’s competitive side shone through with Mark Pearson’s 2023 novice singles championship win. Come on down for Doors Open May 23 and 24, and see for yourself what I’m talking about. Help us top last year’s record of 170 visitors. See you there when I roll the first bowl on opening day, May 9. We love you, Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club. #UpTheBeach!

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MPP Silvia Gualtieri

Speaker, I am proud to rise today to share that, supported by $30,000 of investment through the Ontario Sport Hosting Program, our community will host the 2026 World Table Tennis Canada Youth Contender competition this May. This event will welcome young athletes to Mississauga and support local businesses and showcase our wonderful community. I also want to recognize Amanda Kapo, a legislative page from our riding who was just here days ago. Speaker, it is truly inspiring to see young people from our community shine here in the Legislature. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. I want to acknowledge constituents Frank Sgarlata and Bruno Bellissimo for their dedicated advocacy for Parkinson’s patients. Our office continues to support their vision for an integrated neurological care hub in Mississauga. Meetings have taken place across all levels of government, and Trillium Health Partners and Parkinson Canada are working together to better understand patient needs—and our work continues.

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Mr. Peter Tabuns

I appreciate the opportunity. As you may know, Speaker, I canvass in my riding on an ongoing basis every week. I have to say, increasingly, in the last few weeks, education has been coming up at the door. There’s tremendous frustration over pending layoff of teachers in Toronto, frustration over layoffs of vice-principals, over lack of support for special-needs children. In the past, this government has used trustees as the scapegoat for things not going well. It’s blamed trustees, and, frankly, those trustees who fought to protect services, fought to protect our children, were slapped down. Well, there’s no scapegoat now. If people are upset about layoffs of teachers in schools, layoffs of vice-principals, it’s on the Premier’s head. If people are concerned about safety in our schools, it’s on the Premier’s head. If people are concerned about the schools crumbling, it’s on the Premier’s head. The Premier may think that with his new bill—which leaves trustees in place but takes away all their powers—he’s going to escape being held accountable for the state of education in this province; he needs to think again.

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Mr. Lorne Coe

I rise today to recognize the upcoming 115th Brooklin Spring Fair. The long-running fair is now one of the biggest spring fairs in the province, attracting at least 30,000 fans or more over its four days each year. People come from miles around to enjoy the midway, the truck and tractor pull and the popular demolition derby, along with blue-ribbon livestock competitions, activities for children of all ages and daily entertainment. Speaker, in Durham region, agriculture is not just an industry; it’s a way of life and a vital part of our local economy. Our government is proud to support the farmers and businesses who drive our nearly $52-billion agri-food sector forward each and every day. Expanding markets for Ontario food products ensures farmers and food processors in the hamlet of Brooklin and other parts of the region have more reliable export opportunities. Together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient future for agriculture by improving market access and leveraging our shared strengths. The Brooklin Spring Fair and parade on June 6 are celebrations of these accomplishments and the people behind them. I’m proud to recognize their contributions and look forward to joining residents as I walk in this year’s parade with Team Coe.

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MPP Lisa Gretzky

There’s an affordable housing crisis across this province, including in Windsor-Essex, yet the Premier spent $30 million in public dollars to buy a jet for his personal use. Let that sink in. A growing number of people in my community are living in poverty because of this Conservative government’s policy decisions. In 2024, more than 2,600 people in Windsor–Essex experienced homelessness at some point during the year. That’s an increase of nearly 20% from the year before, and those numbers continue to climb. The supply of affordable housing is not keeping pace with the need. The wait-list for affordable community housing in Windsor alone is over 10 years long and the situation is becoming even more alarming across Windsor–Essex. A recent CBC report highlights that the Essex non-profit housing corporation intends to sell 53 of its 122 affordable units in order to fund critical repairs to the remaining homes. This puts vulnerable tenants at risk of losing their housing. The municipality has little that it can do to intervene, yet it’s committed to supporting anyone affected as best as it can—which raises the question: What is the Premier doing and where do these families go? We should be protecting and building more affordable housing, yet we are losing it because of this government’s inaction. We need sustained investment, protection of existing affordable units and coordination between all levels of government. Housing is not a luxury, Speaker; it’s a basic human right. Far too many people in Windsor–Essex are being left behind by the Premier, and they deserve so much better.

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Mr. Brian Saunderson

While hockey fans turn their attention to the Stanley Cup playoffs—and we are again reminded that Toronto is the only city in Canada where the Leafs fall each spring—I want to recognize the accomplishments of the local junior hockey teams in my riding. Simcoe–Grey has a long and proud hockey tradition. In fact, while at an event in Beeton this weekend, I learned that Beeton is known for having produced the most NHL players per capita of any town in Canada. At the Junior A level, the Collingwood Blues concluded another successful season as division finalists in the highly competitive eastern conference championship series, losing in seven games to the Toronto Patriots. Two years ago, the Blues won the Buckland cup as Ontario champions and the Centennial Cup as the best Junior A team in Canada. Not to be outdone, the Collingwood Lightning women’s hockey program that was established in 2017 continues to thrive and had over 375 skaters this year. The Collingwood Lightning’s under 23 team won bronze at the provincial championships this year. In Wasaga Beach, in just their second season, the River Dragons captured first place in their division and were finalists in their league championship series. At the Junior C level, the Stayner Siskins won their league championship, beating the powerful Alliston Hornets, making it an all Simcoe–Grey final before losing to the Fergus Whalers in the next round. Speaker, the players, coaches and volunteers are true examples of the power of sport and represent our community with heart and pride and relentlessly compete every single night. A big thank you and congratulations to each and every one of them.

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MPP Paul Vickers

It is a pleasure to rise today to recognize the impact that Habitat for Humanity has in communities across this great province, especially in my own community of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. Everyone knows that Habitat for Humanity builds homes for deserving families in need, but few understand the true impact this organization really has. They promote volunteerism, provide key opportunities to those curious about the skilled trades and, most importantly, they provide their supported families with not just a place to live, but opportunities to advance their lives. Speaker, with us today in the gallery is Greg Fryer, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity for Bruce-Grey. Since 2018, his organization has built 37 new homes in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, while completing over 200 critical repairs to existing homes in that same community. This year they’re planning five more new builds with the support of over 400 volunteers. I had the pleasure of presenting this organization with an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant earlier this year to support enhanced accessibility to their ReStore location, a second-hand store where proceeds help fund their activities. Keep up the great work, Habitat for Humanity for Grey-Bruce.

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Hon. Kevin Holland

I’d like to welcome, from my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, Mr. Bill Groenheide, who’s joining us today with OFA. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

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Hon. Sylvia Jones

Today I’m pleased to welcome representatives from Edwards Lifesciences to Queen’s Park. Joining us are Patrick Hupe, general manager and vice-president, and Richard Lech, senior manager of market access. We welcome you to Queen’s Park, and thank you for the important work you do to advance cardiac care across Ontario. Welcome.

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Mme Chandra Pasma

J’aimerais souhaiter la bienvenue aux membres de l’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, y compris la présidente, Mme Gabrielle Lemieux et, de ma circonscription d’Ottawa-Ouest–Nepean, Monesson Baurice Zaha. Bienvenue.

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MPP Silvia Gualtieri

Today I’d like to acknowledge a valued friend and steadfast counsellor to our family: Father Keith Wallace, who has stood with us through both moments of sorrow and times of joy. Thank you for your guidance, compassion and quiet wisdom.

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Hon. Lisa M. Thompson

It’s a pleasure to welcome to the House today Julie Ryan. Her son Lucas is page captain today.

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Mr. Andrew Dowie

I want to wish a warm welcome to Fiona Coughlin, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

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Ms. Jessica Bell

I’d like to invite Regan Sorensen, who attends Howlett Academy. She is the page captain today. She’s joined by her parents, Leiane Cooke and Sean Sorensen. Thank you so much for being here today.

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MPP Lisa Gretzky

I’d like to welcome Fiona Coughlin and the team from Habitat for Humanity in Windsor-Essex. Thank you for all the work that you—

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The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Niagara Falls.

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MPP Wayne Gates

I’d like to welcome the CUPE health care workers’ coordinating committee. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

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Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon

I’d like to welcome the charismatic Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club, run primarily by many of them, but here’s Steve Ashby and Heather Harvey. Also with them are Lisa, Doug, Cheri, Jill, Christianne, Paul, Ron, Don, Katherine, Owen, Marlene and Patty.

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Hon. Rob Flack

I want to welcome everyone from Habitat for Humanity throughout this great province. They’re here today. I’m looking forward to meeting with them later on.

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Mr. Dave Smith

I’d like to welcome Susan Zambonin, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity for Peterborough.

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Mr. Jonathan Tsao

I want to welcome my dear friends and former colleagues from Habitat for Humanity Canada. Welcome to your House.

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Mr. Stephen Blais

Our Daryush is doing an amazing job as one of our legislative pages. I’m happy to welcome his proud family from Orléans: mom, Neha; father, Asher; sister Amaya and brother Mishka. Welcome to the Legislature. I look forward to seeing you this afternoon.

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Ms. Laura Smith

I’d like to welcome a soon-to-be graduate of University of Waterloo and fine resident of York region, Mr. Raphael Chang.

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Ms. Lee Fairclough

It’s my pleasure to welcome former Deputy Premier and MPP for London North Centre, the honourable Deb Matthews. She’s here today because her niece is also a page this week. Welcome.

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Applause.

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Mr. Tom Rakocevic

I’d also like to welcome the ambassador and consul general of Serbia, who are here, joining us today. Thank you for being here.

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M. Anthony Leardi

J’aimerais souhaiter la bienvenue à M. David Matenda avec l’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens. Merci.

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Ms. Aislinn Clancy

I want to welcome the CEO of the Waterloo region Habitat for Humanity, Philip Mills. Welcome to your House.

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