Thursday, April 2, 2026

The House met at 0900.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Good morning. Let us pray.

Official source

Prières.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

And now a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Official source

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 1, 2026, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Official source

Bill 97, An Act to implement Budget measures, to enact, amend or repeal various statutes and to revoke various regulations / Projet de loi 97, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires, à édicter, à modifier ou à abroger diverses lois et à abroger divers règlements.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

I recognize the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

Good morning, Speaker. It’s good to be able to speak about the budget today. As a former parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Finance, I know what’s involved in that, so I want to give a special shout-out to the parliamentary assistants to finance and to the Minister of Finance for working so hard to put this budget together. I am proud to rise today in support of the 2026 Ontario budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario. At a time of global uncertainty, rising costs and economic pressures, our government is focused on one thing: protecting the people of the province of Ontario—protecting their jobs, protecting their wallets and protecting the services that they rely on every single day. The reality is, the world has changed. We are seeing tariffs, supply chain disruptions and economic instability ripple across global markets. While we cannot control these forces, we can control how we respond. And our response is clear: We are building the most competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy in the G7. We are lowering costs. We are reducing red tape. And we are making smart, targeted investments that protect Ontario today while setting us up for great, long-term success. Speaker, this budget is grounded in a simple principle: Be prudent with public dollars, be focused on results and never lose sight of the people we serve. That is why our government continues to take a pragmatic and responsible fiscal approach, making targeted investments while maintaining the flexibility to respond to changing conditions. While others are raising taxes or cutting services, Ontario is doing the opposite. We are keeping costs down. We are supporting growth. And we are maintaining a clear path to balance the budget. The work of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement is central to that plan, because our ministry is about making government work better, faster, more efficiently and more responsively for the people of Ontario. Let me start with one of the most important priorities of the budget: protecting Ontario workers and businesses. Through the Buy Ontario Act, we are keeping more public dollars here at home, supporting local jobs, strengthening our supply chains and ensuring that Ontario businesses have the opportunity to grow and compete. This is about economic resilience, and this is about standing up for Ontario workers in the face of global uncertainty. At the same time, we are breaking down trade barriers within Canada. For too long, internal trade barriers have held back our economy. That is why Ontario is leading the country in advancing a mutual recognition, making it easier for businesses to operate across provincial borders, reduce costs and unlock new opportunities for growth, because when Ontario businesses succeed, Canada succeeds. Speaker, we are also taking bold action to cut red tape and make Ontario the best place in Canada and, indeed, the world to do business. Right now, businesses face fragmented and outdated permitting systems that slow down investment and job creation. We are fixing that by building a new digital permitting system that will simplify approvals, reduce delays and give businesses the certainty they need to invest because we know that time is money, and unnecessary delays cost jobs. At the same time, we are embracing innovation, and we are doing it responsibly. Artificial intelligence is transforming our economy, and Ontario is leading the way. Through the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, we are putting guardrails in place to ensure AI is used transparently, responsibly and securely. We are protecting privacy, we are strengthening accountability and we are making sure that innovation works for people, not against them. Speaker, we are also taking decisive action to protect consumers because in today’s economy fairness is not optional; it is expected. Nowhere is that more obvious than the ticket resale market. Families across Ontario have experienced the frustration. They log on early, they wait in line, they do everything right, only to watch tickets disappear in seconds and reappear a moment or two later, sometimes at even four times or five times the price. That’s not a fair marketplace; it is a system that rewards bots and bulk resellers at the expense of everyday people. We’re going to put a stop to that, Speaker. Our government is introducing changes that would make it illegal to resell tickets for more than the original total cost, including taxes and fees. Our government is introducing changes that would make it illegal to resell tickets for more than the original face value of a ticket—no more hidden markups, no more excessive resale prices, just a fair and transparent system that puts fans first. Let’s be clear: This is about restoring balance. People should not have to compete with automated systems or professional resellers just to take their family to a concert or a hockey game. This is about access, it is about fairness and it’s about protecting the hard-earned money of the people of Ontario. At the same time, we will continue to monitor the marketplace very closely. If we see fees or service charges being used to get around these rules, we will not hesitate to act because our focus is very simple: a fair system that works for the people. Speaker, we are also strengthening consumer protections in other ways, including exploring new rules to protect reward points. Ontarians earn these points through everyday purchases. They are not perks; they represent real value that people rely on. Our goal is to ensure those benefits are protected, accessible and transparent so people can use what they have earned with confidence. Speaker, we are modernizing how government protects information because trust in government depends on how trust in information is handled. The reality is, our current privacy and access laws are nearly 40 years old. They were written in a different time, before cloud computing, before AI and before the scale and sophistication of today’s cyber threats. They are no longer enough, so we are updating them. We are strengthening cyber security requirements across the broader public sector, including schools and hospitals; we are improving how personal information is collected, used and protected; and we are putting stronger safeguards in place for children’s data because there is no greater responsibility than protecting young people in the digital world. We’re also modernizing access processes to ensure that they reflect today’s technology and expectations while continuing to support transparency and accountability because protecting information is not about systems—it is about people, it is about trust and it is about ensuring Ontarians can have full confidence that their data is safe, secure and handled responsibly. We’re also taking action to combat financial crime. Through work towards a beneficial ownership registry, we are strengthening transparency, law enforcement and ensuring that Ontarians remain safe and competitive doing business here in the province. Speaker, all this is about one thing: building a stronger, more competitive Ontario. But it is also about delivering services and doing so efficiently. That is why our ministry continues to deliver services in the most cost-effective way possible, ensuring every dollar delivers results and is directed where it matters most. This budget reflects that discipline. My ministry’s expenses are decreasing this year not because we are doing less, but because we are doing more efficiently, delivering better outcomes at a lower cost. That is what responsible government looks like. This budget is not about short-term fixes; it is about long-term strength. It is about building an economy that can withstand global shocks, an economy that creates jobs and an economy that delivers opportunity for every person in the province. Let me be clear, Speaker: Our plan is working. Our economy continues to show resilience. We are attracting investment. We are creating jobs. We are maintaining one of the strongest fiscal positions in the country, because we made a choice not to raise taxes, not to cut services, but to grow the economy and support the people who drive it. At the end of the day, this budget is about people. It is about the worker trying to get ahead, the family trying to make ends meet and the business owner trying to grow. It is about giving them the tools they need to succeed and ensuring Ontario remains the best place to live, work and raise a family. So yes, the world is uncertain, but our plan is clear: We will protect the people of Ontario.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Questions?

Official source

MPP Catherine McKenney

Thank you to the minister for your comments. One of the most alarming things that I see in this budget is a cut to the municipal affairs and housing budget, during a housing crisis on one hand. Giving a one-year HST break will certainly help developers off-load their housing oversupply, but do you agree that cutting housing programs, in particular housing programs that are meant to house people in social housing—we see a growing amount of homelessness. We see a growing number of people sleeping unsheltered. We have organizations that house people and do it well, but this is a cut. Do you agree that this is the time to make that type of—

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Thank you. Response?

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

I appreciate the question from the member from Ottawa Centre. We do certainly agree that there is a housing crisis in Ontario and, indeed, across the country. In fact, quite honestly, in most Western countries there’s a housing crisis right now, for a number of reasons, and it’s certainly been compounded with higher interest rates and some of the affordability issues that we touched on. We’ve taken very strong measures year over year, in this budget and some legislation, to reduce the cost of housing. The HST cut, getting an agreement with the federal government: We believe a 13% cut—that’s a $130,000 cost savings for someone buying a $1 million new home—is significant, and we believe that will have a very positive impact on the housing market here in Ontario.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Questions?

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

Thank you to the member for his speech and his descriptions of what he considers really good measures in there. But I have to say that I can’t fully agree with it because we see in Ontario—everywhere, including in Oakville—the homelessness crisis has increased by 185% since 2018 and the emergency shelters are operating at 140% capacity. I just looked that up, so I’m pretty sure that’s very recent data. We know that the crisis is created by people having mental health and addiction issues and the lack of affordable housing. Can you point to the measures in this budget that are addressing this crisis?

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

To the member: I appreciate the question. I think we all here in the House agree that the opioid, drug and mental health issues are certainly a crisis, and our government has taken action. The Minister of Health certainly has touched on that. The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has touched on what we’re doing with respect to the HART hubs that we are putting in across the province, which are more comprehensive in their approach to dealing with people who have drug addiction issues, mental health issues. Rather than just giving them free drugs and keeping the addiction going, we’re taking a more holistic approach to dealing with this very important issue.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Question?

Official source

Mr. Lorne Coe

My question is to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. Our government has been very clear that protecting Ontario means cutting taxes, keeping costs down and standing with the businesses that power our economy. So I’d like the minister to explain further, beyond his earlier remarks, how this government’s plan, particularly the proposed small business tax cut, is helping protect Ontario small businesses and support job growth in his riding.

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

Thank you to the member from Whitby—great question. We’ve always believed that government does not create wealth and prosperity. Government sets the environment for wealth and prosperity, for companies to flourish, and that’s exactly what we’ve done in the past and will continue to do. We are the first government in Ontario that has never raised a single tax, and of course we’ve cut taxes, whether it’s the carbon tax or driver’s licence fees, the small business tax, which was in this budget, which is a fairly large reduction, actually—an over 30% reduction in the small business tax. Small businesses are the backbone of the Ontario economy. Tens of thousands of small businesses in the province create jobs, create great opportunities, create opportunities for summer students, so giving them a break will definitely put them on a better path to withstand some of the turbulence we’re feeling globally right now.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Question?

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

I want to ask the member about the changes to the freedom of access to information. I filed a freedom of access to information request to get access to a report that the Minister of Health had on fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis and other environmentally linked diseases. The report was never made public, but through freedom of access to information, we were able to get a copy of this report. We were able to share that report so that we now have best practice for plans of care for the people of Ontario, because the freedom of access to information gives us access to a report that only the minister had. With the changes you’re putting forward, none of that would have been possible; all of the people who suffer with those environmental diseases would not have access to high-quality care. How can you justify that?

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

Thank you to the member from Nickel Belt for that question. I want to make it very clear that 95% of what is accessible now—actually, greater than that—will still be accessible through freedom of information. Again, it needs to be very clear as well—maybe some of the members of the opposition don’t fully understand—that any direction from ministerial offices to the public service is still open to freedom of information. Anything within the public service is open to freedom of information so that people will be able to access that information. What we are doing in terms of this legislation is aligning with the majority of jurisdictions in Canada and indeed globally within the Westminster tradition to ensure candid decision-making within cabinet. All final decision-making, all outcomes, all spending will be fully open and accessible to the public. Nothing is changing with respect to that.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Question?

Official source

Mme Dawn Gallagher Murphy

My question is to the minister. First off, I’d like to thank him for all his work in his ministry. My question is specifically along the lines of artificial intelligence. We know that we have an economy that’s changing. We know workers are having to change what they do to accommodate artificial intelligence. We know that our economy is going to become more dependent on AI. So, how are we, as a government, helping businesses and workers really look to the future to see how AI can be incorporated? Because it’s going to make our economy one of the most successful in the G7.

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

That’s a great question from the member from Newmarket. I wish I had more time to answer that. Ontario is a leader in artificial intelligence. We’ve got the third-largest tech cluster in North America right here in Ontario. In fact, Ontario was the incubator of AI, right here at the University of Toronto. We’ve got dozens and dozens of great companies, right here. So we do play a major role in it. Now, having said that, unfortunately, Canada as a country, and Ontario being part of that, we do have a little lower adoption rate than some of our competitors, like the US. We need to make sure that businesses utilize AI more efficiently because there has been a productivity gap between the US and Canada over the last decade, and I believe AI definitely plays a part in that. But as a government, here in Ontario, we’re certainly supporting companies that are in the AI space. And as a government, we’ve been expanding within my own ministry to be able to utilize and see how we can use AI more efficiently in government because we believe there are a lot of opportunities within government to be able to use AI and save the taxpayers. In fact, right now, we’re leading Canada in AI usage within the public service.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Further debate?

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

I’m happy to have a few minutes to talk about A Plan to Protect Ontario, the 2026-27 budget. I will go through in the same order as you can find them in the budget. I’m on page 91. Page 91 says, “Building Highways for Northern Ontario.” I represent a riding in northern Ontario. This is, like, really good news. Nope, it’s not. We have been waiting for about 40 years for the four-laning of Highway 69. Highway 69 is the highway that goes from the 401 all the way to Sudbury. We still have 68 kilometres of Highway 69 that are two lanes. Today, MPP West and I will be driving home to Sudbury. They’re calling for freezing rain. They’re calling for heavy snow. I guarantee you, on this stretch, there will be—I don’t know—100 trucks that cover your car so that you can’t see anything. They swerve over the middle lane. There is closure of that highway every week in the winter. I read this in the budget, and I’ll read it to you, Speaker: “Widening Highway 69 from two to four lanes between Parry Sound and Sudbury ... the government is working to complete the remaining 68 kilometres.” No timeline, no money, no commitment, no nothing—they are working to complete the remaining. Will it take another 40 years to complete the 68 kilometres? It could very well be, because that’s all that’s in the budget. People in northern Ontario need a government who understands that the roads in northern Ontario need to be improved. We cannot continue to have 10 times the amount of risk of death on northern Ontario roads than you have on the 401. This is our lifeline. There is no public transit in Nickel Belt. There are no buses. There is no train. We drive, or we stay home. When I read things like this in the budget, it makes me feel like we don’t matter. We don’t count. We’re not there. What are you waiting for? Why are there billions of dollars for a fancy tunnel under the 401, but there isn’t even a mention of money allocated to the widening of Highway 69, although it was a promise that this Premier made? While campaigning, he promised to four-lane Highway 69. And then, we get this budget that doesn’t assign a single penny to it, that doesn’t assign a timeline, a work plan—nothing. I’m not happy. Then, I went on to investing in hospitals. I’ve been the health critic for the last 18 and a half years. I worked in the hospital for 15 years. The hospital that serves most of my community is Health Sciences North, located in Sudbury. Health Sciences North has 526 beds—526 beds. That’s the number of beds at HSN, Health Sciences North. Last night, there were 644 patients. I’ll let you do the math, Speaker. That’s 118 patients that were sick enough to be admitted into a hospital who did not have a bed. They were in hallways, they were in a bathroom, they were in a TV room, in a waiting area. They were anywhere but in a bed in a room. This is not acceptable, Speaker. This is not acceptable. Our hospital has been in need of an expansion for a very long time, but things move at the rate of a sleepy turtle. They’ve done the work. They’ve submitted the plan. They’ve told the ministry it has been a year and a half, and so far, crickets. So I read the budget where it said, “Investing in Hospitals,” and Health Sciences North is nowhere to be seen. Health Sciences North is a hub for all of the hospitals in northeastern Ontario. You go anywhere—Espanola, Manitoulin Island, Thessalon, Blind River, Elliot Lake, Sturgeon Falls—they all depend on Health Sciences North. Health Sciences North is a tertiary care centre. There are people from all over northeastern Ontario who come to their cancer treatment centre, who come to their specialized care, which is great. But when you are sick enough to be admitted into a hospital but you’re part of the 118 patients last night who slept anywhere but in a bed, that’s not acceptable. Their average hallway is 130 patients a night. They do a count every night at midnight, and the average is 130. Last night was a little bit better, at 118. No, it’s still terrible. This has to change, and we don’t see that in the budget. What we see in the budget—and I will read it to you; it’s on page 125 in the English version. It says, “Ontario’s hospitals play an integral role in delivering critical health services. This is why the government is investing over $1.1 billion in additional hospital funding.... This investment includes an up to 4% increase in base and targeted hospital funding....” Hospitals want certainty. They want to know for sure at the beginning of the budget year, which is April 1 to March 31, how much money they’re going to be dealing with. Last year, in December, a couple of months ago, most of the hospitals got bailout money—that’s really good—so that they’re not going to be out hundreds of million of dollars of deficit, but that’s not how you plan health care. The hospital association has come. They said that they need a minimum of $1.1 billion to keep us at the disastrous level we’re at, but they need $2.2 million to meet the needs and still have hallway health care and still have long wait times and still have Thessalon Hospital, which was closed four days last week, three days the week before. This is not acceptable. The budget says “up to 4%.” Does that mean you get 1%? Does that mean you get 2%? How can you plan? Hospital associations want a three-year forecast so that they can recruit and retain a stable workforce, form them and supervise them so that we have high-quality care. None of this is possible when it is probably going to be December before they find out what the percentage increase is that they’re getting this year. Is it an ongoing increase or is it just for this year? None of that is clear. When you keep things like this, people cannot plan. They cannot use their resources to the best ability so that taxpayers get value for their money. Why? Because this government puts numbers out there, but then it takes months and months and months before the hospital actually knows what their budget is going to be. It is hard to recruit and retain a stable workforce in northern Ontario. We are short over 400 physicians, thousands of nurses, and when you don’t know—they say, “Well, we’ll give you a occasional job, because we don’t know if it’s going to be a contract because we don’t know if we’ll have the money to keep you for next year.” Who wants a job like that? Nobody. It makes it really hard to provide equity care in northern Ontario. I only have one minute. Man, this goes by really fast, doesn’t it? Okay, “Supporting High-Quality Long-Term Care”—we got all of a 2% increase in long-term care. The acuity of the people that are in our long-term-care system is continuing to increase. It was back in 2014 that I first tabled a bill asking for four hours of hands-on care, because back in 2014, when I tabled that bill, we had done the study, and the acuity of the people in long-term care needed four hours of hands-on care. We are in 2026 and we still have not achieved four hours of hands-on care, but the level of needs of the 78,000 people admitted into our long-term-care facilities in Ontario has gone way past what it was in 2014. We are now able to provide a much higher level of care, and that’s great, but that requires resources. And yet we’re getting a 2% increase while the number of beds is going up, while the acuity is going up. I had a whole lot more to say, but I’m running out of time. Sorry.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Questions?

Official source

Ms. Natalie Pierre

To the member opposite, small businesses are the heartbeat of Ontario’s economy, supporting local communities like mine, like Sudbury, and they employ hundreds of thousands of Ontarians across the province. Included in this budget, our government is proposing lowering the small business corporate income tax rate by over 30% from 3.2% to 2.2%, delivering over a billion dollars in tax relief to more than 375,000 small businesses across the province of Ontario. In other jurisdictions across Canada, they are raising taxes, recording record deficits, cutting jobs. Our government is choosing affordability, competitiveness and private sector job creation. Through you, Madam Speaker, I ask the member opposite, do they support the historic small business tax credit, and how would that help small business owners in your—

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Thank you. Response?

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

To give small businesses a 1% decrease in taxes is something that we support—no problem with that. But small businesses have come and they’ve told you that they need so much more. The people who work in small businesses would like to have sick days. Those workers deserve sick days, but there’s a good chance they won’t have them. We just had a press conference on Monday that a lot of those small businesses in my riding—I have many industrial parks that support the mining sector—a lot of those small businesses would be glad that we had anti-scab legislation so that, when those workers go on strike or are locked out, we don’t destroy our community, we don’t take advantage of vulnerable workers. There’s so much more that could be done to support our small businesses, but 1% is one tiny step in the right direction.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Questions?

Official source

MPP Jamie West

Thank you to my colleague from Nickel Belt. She talked about Highway 69 and the broken promises the Premier has made. In 2018, 2022, 2025 and every year during the budget, we ask about Highway 69, and the Premier and the Minister of Transportation always promise the cheque is in the mail. I want to tell you about, in 2025—you read this article, I know, because we talked about it during the drive—the Premier said: “‘I want to make sure our highways are safe. It’s treacherous and not just here,’ Ford said. ‘Have you ever (gone) from Sudbury down to the city? That two-lane is like white-knuckle driving down there. If the transport is off by two inches and you’re done.... “‘We drove all over the north during the election and snow was coming down. We had a pretty heavy winter. It was terrifying. But until you see it first-hand, you can’t appreciate it. We’ll do everything we can to be sure we get that fulfilled....’” My question is, why do you think the Premier keeps breaking his promise?

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

I represent a northern riding with 33 small communities. What I hear from my constituents is that they don’t care—they don’t care about the people of northern Ontario. I have more mines in my riding than in any other riding. They’re interested in the minerals that we have in Nickel Belt. They’re interested in the mines that we have, but they’re not interested in the people who live there. Things as easy as making—we need access to schools for our kids, to homes to live in, to health care services just like everybody else. But no; they want the resources that come from the ground in Nickel Belt, but they don’t care about the people of Nickel Belt. They don’t care about the people of northern Ontario. If they did, they would have four-laned Highway 69 in 2018 when they said they would.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Question?

Official source

Mr. Lorne Coe

Thank you, Speaker, and through you: My question focuses on community safety because it is not optional, as you know, and it’s absolutely fundamental. It’s why our government is investing in this budget concrete measures, again, to protect hard-working families and neighbourhoods—I’m sure including some of the neighbourhoods in Nickel Belt. Since 2018 alone, $375 million has been allocated to combat guns and gangs. So I’m interested in hearing, through the member from Nickel Belt, will she support a budget that protects the hard-working families in her community and keeps them safe?

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

Do the people of Nickel Belt need protection? Absolutely. We have Highway 144 that starts in Sudbury, that goes to Timmins. There is no police whatsoever. We had an OPP detachment in Gogama. You closed it. We had an OPP detachment in Foleyet. You closed it. If you have an accident on Highway 144, if you’re lucky enough to have cell service or somebody goes to somebody’s house to call, it will be hours before a police officer is there to help you. The money you’ve invested probably helped keep people in southern Ontario safe. For northern Ontario, you took the resources that were in the OPP stations in northern Ontario, and they’re not there anymore. The amount of resources to keep us safe is going down, not up. We kept the OPP station open in Noëlville because we screamed loud enough that you couldn’t do it behind our backs. But Gogama is gone, Foleyet is gone, and we see it in intimate partner violence, in car accidents. We need protection, too— Interjection.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Stop the clock. The Associate Minister for Forestry and Forest Products will withdraw his unparliamentary remark. I will wait.

Official source

Hon. Kevin Holland

Withdraw.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Further questions?

Official source

MPP Jamie West

As the member for Nickel Belt knows, my wife works in a kindergarten class. I want to summarize a couple of statements and ask you a question: “As a wish list, I’d like to come to my place of work 21 days out of the year.” “I’d like a Ferris wheel, a second Ferris wheel.” “I would like a secret superhero tunnel like batman has.” “I’d like a private luxury spa.” “Instead of fixing the roof of the science centre, I’d like to build a new science centre.” “Instead of building a place, I want to build a secret island”—even though Lake Ontario is over 86 metres deep on average. My question to you: Are these the wish lists of one of the kids in my wife’s kindergarten class, or are these the wish lists of the Premier?

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

That was funny. None of that is the wish list of anybody but the Premier. The Premier uses resources for a Ferris wheel, for fantasy tunnels, for all sorts of things that are not a priority for anybody. What I hear from people on the front lines is that we want more support for our kids who have special needs. We want them to be able to go to school and achieve their full potential. We want smaller class sizes so that there aren’t 35 kids and one teacher in one room. We want our schools to be there to support each and every one of the students because this is what makes Ontario strong. It is our health care, it is our education system, and for the francophones, if we don’t have French schools, we lose our French really quickly. So, no, that’s the fantasy of the Ford government, not of the people.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Question?

Official source

Ms. Peggy Sattler

One of the concerns that I hear about a lot from people in London West is the amount of money that they have to pay out of pocket to access health care services. I just did a health care survey of residents in London West, and this was one of the top concerns that they mentioned. So my question to the member is whether there is anything in this budget that would help clamp down on the number of times that people have to use their credit card to access health care services in the province of Ontario.

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

The answer to your question is a capital no. There’s actually more money in this budget to expand private, for-profit health care, not to guarantee that people won’t have to pay. What’s happening in your riding is happening everywhere. Just look at cataract surgery. If you have cataract surgery done in the hospital, everything is free. If you have the same patient and the same ophthalmologist do the same procedures in a private clinic, I guarantee you it will be hundreds if not thousands of dollars in extra fees. When people complain—if they know how to complain, because it’s not easy—some of them will get their money back, but the other hundred that were billed the exact same thing do not. The government underfunds our publicly delivered health care system for one reason. It’s to push forward their privatization agenda. There is a lot of money to be made off the backs of sick people, and rich corporations know this, especially US corporations.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Further debate?

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

It’s a pleasure to rise and speak to the budget. There’s always a lot to say about the budget because, at the end of the day, we know that the budget is about choices. It’s about the priorities of the government in that particular year. Despite the title of this budget that says it wants to protect Ontario, that’s actually not—we see in the budget when we look at the measures that are put forward to presumably try to help Ontarians get by—so we’re not just talking about numbers. Again, it’s a reflection of our priorities, the values that we hold dear and whether a government understands or not the lived reality of the people it actually serves. When I look at the budget again, I see a government that is out of step with that reality because what I see is that it doesn’t reflect the priorities that I hear about day in and day out in my riding of Ottawa–Vanier. In communities like Ottawa–Vanier and everywhere else, people don’t want slogans; they are asking for support. I mean real supports, supports directly helping people, to help people live with dignity at every stage of their lives and for everyone, regardless of their income. We don’t see that in the budget. Madam Speaker, the cost of living continues to rise, especially with housing. In Ottawa–Vanier, families are struggling to keep up with rent increases. Young people can’t afford to move out, and I have an example at home. I have four kids. My son of 24 years old is actually moving out this year. He’s 24 years old. I’d like to think that he stuck around because of my good cooking, but I know he was tired of listening to his mom and dad and his siblings. He’s able to move out, but only just because now he has a girlfriend that he can share the rent with, and he also works two jobs. I think that if the situation would have been different, if affordable housing was available, he probably would have made his way out earlier. That’s not to say that I’m not happy that he’s stuck around for that long. He’s a strong young man, and he’s been a great help at home. I also have my mother, actually, who has been living at home with me. For the last 18 years, my mom has been with us, helping us—and also, one of the reasons for that is that she couldn’t afford to live in Ottawa on her own. So there is a big household of seven people. We make it work. But not everybody has that opportunity, and unfortunately, a lot of people live in precarious situations. Because what we see is that more and more residents are being pushed into that precarious housing or even out of housing altogether, which is a really bad situation for anyone. But the data is clear: If we look at the numbers, the median rent in Ottawa has increased by over 60% in the last decade, reaching around $1,600 per month. I think that’s a conservative number. The wait-list for affordable housing has grown to over 15,000 households with wait times stretching up to 7.6 years. So what we are seeing is the consequences of that every day is that we see encampments. We see them everywhere in Ontario. They’re hidden, but sometimes they’re in plain sight as well. We see shelters that are operating beyond capacity—and those shelter models, really? They should disappear altogether, to be replaced by supportive housing, because they don’t provide a dignified lifestyle. It’s really degrading, and I see it all the time because there is a big concentration of shelters in Ottawa–Vanier and it’s nothing somebody should dream of living in. Because that’s what it has become. People don’t go in shelters anymore as a transition. They end up spending not only weeks, but months, and in some cases, years, in shelters—imagine. What we also see is the growing pressure on community organizations that are really, really doing their best to try to get ahead and try to help people on the street. But really, they’re not getting the financial support that they need. Honestly, this budget fails to meaningfully invest in deeply affordable housing and supportive housing, the very solutions municipalities and service providers have been calling for for a very long time. Instead, the government continues to focus on supply targets without addressing affordability. But, Madam Speaker, if people cannot afford the homes they build, then they’re not solving the crisis. I want to talk a little bit more about homelessness and community services, because in my riding, it’s a big issue. And I know you hear me here talk about this a lot. In Ottawa–Vanier, I also see the human side of the crisis every day. I’m going to name some organizations in my riding, like Ottawa Inner City Health, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, the Ottawa Mission and Shepherds of Good Hope. They are doing extraordinary work. Community groups like SOS Vanier street outreach are stepping up every day. Imagine: A group of neighbours figured that they felt like they needed to do something. They got together, and they collect just normal supplies—clothing and juice and food. They go out every night, and they go meet people on the street to give them some supplies, just to help them get through the day and have a little bit of a better day. These organizations are being asked to do more and more with limited and uncertain resources. Because the crisis is growing; it’s not going backwards. We have nearly 85,000 Ontarians that are experiencing homelessness. That’s an increase of 50% since 2021, just four years ago. In Ottawa alone, close to 3,000 people are experiencing homelessness with hundreds living unsheltered. This budget does not match the scale of this crisis. Actually, it falls very short. When we fail to invest in housing, mental health and addiction services, what we do is we shift the burden. We shift the burden onto emergency rooms. We shift the burden onto police services and community organizations already stretched to their limit. Madame la Présidente, la réalité est simple. La crise de l’itinérance et du logement n’est pas une fatalité. C’est le résultat de choix politiques. À Ottawa–Vanier, nous voyons des organismes communautaires qui font un travail exceptionnel, mais honnêtement, ils sont à bout de souffle. Pendant ce temps, les besoins augmentent, les listes d’attente s’allongent et trop de gens tombent entre les mailles du filet. Investir dans le logement abordable, dans la santé mentale et dans les services en dépendance, ce n’est pas une dépense, c’est une responsabilité comme gouvernement. Et surtout, c’est une question de dignité humaine. Madam Speaker, access to health care remains one of the top concerns in my riding. Too many people in Ottawa–Vanier still do not have access to a family doctor. Community health centres are overwhelmed, and mental health and addiction services are underfunded. And yet, this budget does not deliver the urgent structural investment needed to stabilize the system. We cannot continue to rely on patchwork solutions while the system is under strain because when people cannot access care, conditions worsen, costs increase and the entire system becomes less efficient. The same disconnect exists in education. I got into politics because of education, because as a mother of four, I thought, “Gosh, our education system has to be able to be better.” I saw the potential, but what I saw instead were portables where my kids were going to school. They had classes in portables. We were in Ontario; I couldn’t believe it. So I decided to get involved, and that’s how I eventually ended up here to talk about education—but there’s so much more to talk about. But right now, what we’re dealing with in schools is overcrowded classrooms, increasing student needs and insufficient supports. Teachers are exhausted, students are struggling and, yet, instead of meaningful investments, this budget offers limited, one-off measures that do not address the systemic challenges. The $750 gift card that some of the teachers are getting is not going to cut it to help with the struggles with our education system. If we’re serious about preparing the next generation, we must invest in the conditions that allow students and educators to succeed. We need good, modern infrastructure—not ruins—and special education supports. Those are two areas that are really needing support. Madam Speaker, I see that I’m getting to the end. Ontario is a wealthy province, and I think we can do better. We can do better with housing. We can do better with health care. We can do better with education and the support that our communities need.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Questions?

Official source

Mr. Lorne Coe

I thank the member from Ottawa–Vanier for her presentation. Across Ontario, including Ottawa–Vanier, families want assurance that their loved ones will have access to safe, modern and reliable long-term care closer to home, and built to meet growing demands. The member from Ottawa–Vanier will know that this budget continues to affect the building of long-term-care beds across the province. Sadly, her party built only 600 beds over 15 years. Will the member, when it comes time to vote, stand up in her place and support more long-term-care beds in Ottawa–Vanier?

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

I thank the member from Whitby for his question. Of course, long-term-care facilities are very important. I have to say, I had the Minister of Long-Term Care come to my riding, and she has come to visit some of those long-term-care facilities with me, so she’s well aware that those places are not places where people dream of going. What I wish I could see in this budget and as a government priority is more investment in home care, because people like my mother, who is 82 years old—she doesn’t want to go to any long-term-care facility. She wishes to stay at home for as long as possible, but she will need the support to be able to do that. So long-term care is fine when you don’t have a choice, but they’re not staffed properly, staff are not treated properly. That’s why we’re having a challenge of retaining those people and that’s what we need to address.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Questions?

Official source

Ms. Sandy Shaw

Thank you for your speech this morning. I share your concerns with public education. I have put my kids through the public system, and I have eight grandchildren right now in the public system. With this government’s continued underfunding, underspending and cuts to education, we’re seeing more and more crowded classrooms. The Hamilton district school board just announced that, because of these budget cuts, they’re going to have to fire 120 teachers, including 55 elementary school teachers. Like you, we’re receiving hundreds and hundreds of petitions from parents saying we need to reduce class sizes, not squeeze more and more students into larger sizes. So, you know, I share your disappointment. Can you just say, why do you think the government doesn’t think that young people in our province deserve more than this?

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

Thank you to the member for her question. Obviously, education is a big passion of mine. Like I said, that’s the reason I got into politics. And after six years of being an MPP and 10 years of being a school trustee, I’m still disappointed with our system. I ran into a parent that had her kids in the same school my kids were in and she said, “My youngest daughter doesn’t want to go to school anymore. There’s 29 people in her classroom and half of them have special needs. There’s no support, so she’s totally lost motivation to go to school.” And that’s the last thing we want to see. That’s why we need to create those good conditions, so that kids are motivated to go to school and receive the quality education that they deserve.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Time for a quick question.

Official source

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto

I was listening to the member from Ottawa–Vanier talking about how when she was a trustee 10 years before—she was elected in 2020 in a by-election—and she was saying how terrible the education system was back then. I’m not sure if the member remembers that it was a Liberal government that was in power at that time. Can you elaborate on how bad it was under the Liberal government, the education system in Ontario?

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

I’m here to tell you one thing: It wasn’t as bad as it is right now. Interjection.

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

Well, you asked for it. That’s my experience. I was 10 years a trustee. There was some support coming in from the Liberal government. I’m not saying it was perfect. I think our education system has fallen behind for way too many years. Really, it’s the fault of every government for not prioritizing education more, all the governments. But definitely, after eight years of this government, we haven’t seen a dent in the quality of education in the right direction. So, no, I don’t need to say more.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Further debate?

Official source

Hon. Steve Clark

Good morning, everyone. I want to first thank the people of Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes for the opportunity to provide some perspective on our government’s budget bill, Bill 97. First of all, I want to thank the efforts of our finance minister, the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, and the team in the Ministry of Finance behind him. I want to thank his two parliamentary assistants, the member for Eglinton–Lawrence and the member for Peterborough–Kawartha, for all their work that they have done. This is an incredible amount of work that took place, lots of public hearings by the minister and the parliamentary assistants in addition to the all-party standing committee. It really takes a united front to uphold the economy. More than that, it takes an ambitious, progressive government to grow our economy beyond what it is today. Speaker, let me tell the House this one piece at the start of my address: We need to secure the future of Ontario’s economy and we need to invest in it now. That is exactly what our 2026 budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario, is designed to do. It makes targeted investments to protect workers, to protect businesses, to keep costs down for families, to strengthen public services and to build a stronger, more competitive Ontario. From my home in Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, I would like to share some core highlights of what I think are well-laid investments. To start off, I’m going to take a look at the steps we have taken to support schools and students and inspire generational growth in our province. Our government is investing $30 billion over the next 10 years to support new and redeveloped schools and child care projects: English and French, public and Catholic, elementary and secondary. Our school system portrays a number of different forms. Each form and each board has every right to have increased investment. In my riding, in the municipality of North Grenville and Kemptville, Ontario’s government has approved the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est to tender a new école élémentaire et secondaire catholique Notre-Dame. Speaker, je suis très fier des investissements de ce gouvernement dans cette nouvelle école. Lorsque la construction de l’école sera terminée, la nouvelle école élémentaire et secondaire catholique Notre-Dame permettra à 417 élèves de bénéficier d’un environnement d’apprentissage moderne et entièrement équipé. Ce sont 417 élèves qui pourront atteindre leur plein potentiel, tisser des liens durables et s’épanouir dans ce nouvel environnement que nous avons construit de A à Z, grâce à un investissement provincial de 26,5 millions de dollars. Et ce n’est pas tout. Le projet offre également 49 nouvelles places en garderie pour les familles de la région. Située à North Grenville, cette école n’est pas simplement une étape dans l’atteinte des objectifs de construction, c’est une avancée dans le développement de l’éducation. Ces investissements sont un effort essentiel pour mettre en valeur les élèves francophones de mon comté et pour assurer que leur éducation soit durable et protégée, comme partout ailleurs en Ontario. I take a great pride in the francophone population of Leeds and Grenville. Investments in French education are not isolated to my riding—far from it. Looking to our budget, I want to highlight another investment: a net new investment of over $5 million to develop learning resources to help reflect Ontario’s proud dedication to francophone culture. That $5 million will be allocated to reading supports, online courses, mental health services and many, many more resources that raise our students for future prosperity. Our investments in education don’t stop there. Like I said before, investments in the schools—and I’m hoping this year, we might actually have a record in my riding, although the announcements around the budget haven’t been made in every riding. But I’ve got some very good projects, and it could be for the first time in the history of Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes I might have all four boards with a new construction project in my riding. That’s really, really special, for young people to have a state-of-the-art facility in their community. I also want to talk about our government in terms of the Classroom Supplies Fund for elementary school homeroom teachers. I have already seen emails from teachers thanking us. This allows them to access $750 to supply their classrooms with essentials for our student needs. I want to thank those teachers who have taken the time to email me to thank us for putting that money in their hands. Because some of them have expressed that, in the past, maybe the principal might have received the money but not provided it to them. I want to thank them for emailing me about that. It’s a $66-million investment and I think it’s an investment that’s well spent. Building off last year’s Supporting Children and Students Act, this budget holds its objective strong. Every dollar invested has been invested for the betterment of student success, and student success is our province’s success. The education sector is not alone in this budget’s mission to improve Ontario. Our government is continually investing in the welfare of our province’s communities. Because populations are growing, which is indisputable, those communities need to be supported. And beyond schools, I think we’ve achieved a great opportunity to support our communities with the Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund. So Minister Lumsden, I want to thank you for that announcement; I want to thank you for that investment in the budget. I know communities in my riding of Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes appreciate the additional $300 million over six years. They’re going to help meet the needs of our growing communities to repair facilities, to establish new recreation facilities and, altogether, the investments raise that total program funding to about $500 million. That’s $500 million dedicated to our children, adults and our growing communities. Thank you so much, Minister. As well, this week I was able to make some announcements regarding arts culture funding for both the Thousand Islands Playhouse and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. I want to thank the Ontario Arts Council, which is an agency of the government of Ontario, for that investment. It was roughly $264,000. But I want to take the few precious minutes I have to talk about two things. I want to talk about our investment in corrections. I want to thank the minister for the investment at the Brockville community correctional complex, we’re going to house 295 inmates; the St. Lawrence valley treatment centre, another 25 female beds, expanding their secure treatment unit. Brockville jail is the oldest operating jail in Ontario. I feel—and I’ve told Minister Kerzner this, told the Premier this, when they were in my riding—after 184 years, it’s time to invest in that facility. I’m glad that it’s part of our plan to keep Ontario safe. The final thing I want to mention in the last minute of play, is the HST rebate. I was at an event for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture on Saturday. I had Mayor Roger Haley show me an actual down payment that was made because of that grant. So I know, in my own riding, that we are literally—people are buying new homes because of this grant. Speaker, we’ve debated this matter at length. I ask you, respectfully, that I move that the question now be put.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

There having been more than nine hours and one minute of debate and 26 members having participated, Mr. Clark has moved that the question be now put. I am satisfied there has been sufficient debate to allow this question to be put to the House. It is the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no. All those in favour of the motion that the question be now put, please say “aye.” All opposed to the motion that the question be now put say “nay.” In my opinion, the ayes have it. A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred to the next instance of deferred votes.

Official source

Vote deferred.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

Orders of the day?

Official source

Hon. Steve Clark

No further business at this time, Speaker.

Official source

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French)

In that case, this House stands in recess until 10:15.

Official source

The House recessed from 1008 to 1015.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

You may be seated. Good morning, everyone.

Official source

MPP Mohamed Firin

I rise today to recognize Sara A. Tessier, impact director for formerly incarcerated persons at the Northpine Foundation, whose work is transforming lives across Canada. Sara’s work aligns closely with priorities to build safer communities by supporting evidence-based rehabilitation initiatives that reduce long-term system pressures and improve outcomes for individuals and families across Canada. With nearly a decade of experience, Sara has dedicated her career to supporting some of the most marginalized individuals in our society—those who are victimized, criminalized and often left behind. Drawing from lived experiences, Sara has worked with organizations such as the Elizabeth Fry Society, John Howard Society and Coverdale Courtwork Society to support individuals transitioning out of incarceration and to reduce recidivism. Through the initiatives and the investments that Sara led, thousands of individuals have gained access to stable housing, education and employment. The broader impact is equally significant as a $30-million investment in these programs over four years has saved the taxpayers over a billion dollars. In recognition of this leadership and impact, Sara was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025. Beyond program delivery, Sara has played a key role in advancing policy and advocacy, including providing testimony to Senate committees and supporting legislative discussions on the rights and rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals. Madam Speaker, Sara’s work is a powerful reminder that when we invest in people, we create safer communities, stronger systems and real second chances. Sara is here with us today. I would appreciate if the members can kindly welcome her with me.

Official source

Applause.

Official source

Ms. Catherine Fife

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the first ever KW Titans’s orange jersey basketball game. This was not just an event but a moment of learning, healing and truth in action. I was able to meet Phyllis Webstad, a beautiful and courageous woman and the founder of Orange Shirt Day. At six years old, on her first day at St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, Phyllis was stripped of her clothes, including a new orange shirt from her grandmother. It was never returned. That shirt is a symbol of the efforts made by residential schools to erase Indigenous children’s identity. Canada’s last residential school closed just 30 years ago. Thousands of families were torn apart, which resulted in generational trauma. My friend and colleague the member from Kiiwetinoong is the only residential school survivor to serve in Ontario’s Legislature. His experience is echoed by every Indigenous person who survived these horrific institutions. As a Canadian, I am proud of our ability to face difficult historical truths and say, “Never again.” That begins by remembering our collective past. I want to thank Sheena Merling and her team for organizing Saturday’s event and to the Titans’s owners, David and Kate Schooley, for understanding the value of this kind of leadership. Sheena pointed out that this game showed what community can look like when we lead with heart. Finally, a heartfelt gratitude to Phyllis Webstad for courageously sharing your story so that we can all learn together.

Official source

Mme Lucille Collard

The homelessness crisis we are seeing today is not accidental. It is a result of underinvestment in housing, mental health and addiction services. In a province as wealthy as Ontario, it is unacceptable that people are losing their dignity simply because the support they need is not there. In my riding of Ottawa–Vanier, I see the extraordinary work being done every day by organizations like Ottawa Inner City Health, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, the Ottawa Mission and Shepherds of Good Hope, as well as community groups like SOS Vanier street outreach. To the front-line workers and volunteers, thank you. You meet people where they are, and you bring compassion and hope into incredibly difficult situations, because the people living on our streets are not a problem to be managed; they are human beings who deserve dignity. And it should be a wake-up call for everyone here that naloxone advocates need to come to Queen’s Park to ask for this life-saving medicine to be more widely available to address the crisis. I know residents are feeling the strain of this crisis, but the solution is not to look away or rely on enforcement alone. The solution is to invest in supportive housing, in mental health care and in addictions services. Ontario has the capacity to lead. I urge the government to show the courage to act.

Official source

Mr. David Smith

I rise today to recognize long-term care in our province of Ontario. Over the winter break, I had an opportunity to visit several long-term-care facilities in my riding of Scarborough Centre, such as Wexford, Bendale Acres, Kennedy Lodge and Alexis Lodge. These facilities are doing an exceptionally great job taking care of our seniors in our community, building a vibrant, caring community for seniors. As a result of that, I would like to recognize the minister for the great work that she’s doing all across Ontario in providing the care and the understanding of our administrators, nurses and PSWs. Recently, I visited long-term-care homes to interact with directors, PSWs and nurses. Therefore, I believe that our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is doing a great job in taking care of our seniors. They rightfully deserve all the treatment that they should have. My profound gratitude goes out to every PSW, nurse, administrative staff and every working person in the field of long-term care in my riding. I would like to express my strong dedication for all the work—

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Members’ statements?

Official source

MPP Wayne Gates

Speaker, I rise to honour a special community member in the town of Fort Erie. His name is Brad Kovachik. If you played hockey in Niagara at any point, you probably know Brad. He’s been a pillar to families and young players in Fort Erie for many years. He’s given back. He’s a coach to young people in Fort Erie. He’s a leader in our community on the minor hockey board. But he’s also been a linesman in the National Hockey League for over 30 years. He’s now retiring. His last game was two days ago when he refereed the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators in Florida—Florida unfortunately won the game 6-3. It was a nice moment when all the players from both teams came together at centre ice to congratulate him for his amazing career. Brad’s entire family and his close friends were at the game to share a special moment one last time. Brad has worked an impressive five Stanley Cups. That’s 1,974 games over three decades—more games if you include international play, like the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. Fort Erie and Niagara are proud and privileged to have a community member like Brad help and grow the game we all love. Join me in honouring Brad in the Legislature on an amazing career and a wonderful retirement. I’d also like to say—Brad wanted me to say this. He wanted me to congratulate the Fort Erie Meteors, who tied their semifinal junior league playoffs at 2-2 with St. Catharines. Brad, enjoy your retirement.

Official source

Mr. Anthony Leardi

I have more great news from the county of Essex, this time from the town of Amherstburg, which is my hometown. Amherstburg has 700 acres of industrially zoned land. It is called the Howard Avenue industrial park, and our government has a plan. It’s called the Trade-Impacted Communities Program, and under this program, the town of Amherstburg will be receiving $838,000 to help plan the Howard Avenue industrial park. We will be doing environmental assessments, land use planning and market analysis. The Howard Avenue industrial park is strategically located within a 10-minute radius of the Gordie Howe bridge, of Highway 401 and Highway 3. Madam Speaker, we are a strategically located location in the province of Ontario. I want to thank the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade for the Trade Impacted-Communities Program, and state that, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we are protecting jobs, we are protecting Ontario and we are building for the future.

Official source

Mme France Gélinas

I am so proud of the people of Sudbury, Nickel Belt and northeastern Ontario. In December, thanks to a whistle-blower, we learned that Quest Diagnostics, a private, for-profit American company, wanted to increase their profit by closing the Sudbury lab testing and transporting the lab samples to Toronto. Transporting time-sensitive medical samples on Highway 69, on winter roads leads to delays and less accurate tests, which impacts patient care. People were shocked. They were frightened. Municipal, provincial and federal offices were flooded with messages from concerned citizens. Over 10,000 people signed the petition that the MPP from Sudbury and I put together, calling on the minister to overturn this decision. We want the minister to tell us what is in this contract and how we can change it. Make no mistake, Speaker: If this was happening in reverse, if Quest Diagnostics was closing resources in Toronto to bring them to the north, I have no doubt that the Premier and the minister would look at the contract and change things. We are moving forward. Quest Diagnostics, LifeLabs, the minister—they are feeling the pressure. But we can’t give up. We need to stand shoulder to shoulder and raise our voices together. We need to continue to stand up and be counted—more letters, more phone calls, more petitions, more demonstrations. This is how we will win. This is how we will protect health care services in Sudbury and northern Ontario.

Official source

Mrs. Daisy Wai

Today, I rise to celebrate the incredible work our government is doing in my riding of Richmond Hill. As hard-working families continue to face the challenges of tariffs and economic uncertainty, our government has continued uplifting our community. This year alone, Richmond Hill has received millions of dollars in provincial funding to weather the storm of tariffs and keep our residents healthy, safe and self-sufficient. Our government is ensuring firefighters have the supplies they need to save lives, with a grant of over $100,000. We’re investing over $1 million to keep municipal water infrastructure safe for future generations. We’re supporting Mackenzie Health hospital with millions of dollars in funding so patients can access quality care close to home—and they have access to CT scans a lot more. And we’re uplifting local businesses so that they can keep driving our economy forward, with the recent announcement in the budget that reduces taxes from 3.2% to 2.2%—that makes the biggest difference for them. Now, more than ever, Richmond Hill is so thankful for this ongoing support. I’ve heard it loud and clear: These projects are making everyday life better and more affordable for our residents.

Official source

Mr. Lorne Coe

Through the Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow program, our government is investing over $1 million this year to support two non-profit organizations in Whitby and one in Ajax. These include Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Durham and Northumberland, the Alzheimer Society of Durham Region and the Sunrise Developmental Support Services group. These organizations are pillars of our Durham communities, and this support will enable them to improve programs that are essential to the well-being of residents, making a lasting impact for years to come. Melanie Stewart, who’s the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Durham and Northumberland, had this to say about the new funding: “This funding will allow us to adapt our group mentorship program for young women ages 11 to 14, to better address the challenges they are facing today, online safety, bullying and mental health. We are thankful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for standing alongside us as a committed partner in supporting girls’ mental health, safety and empowerment in our community.”

Official source

Mr. Robert Bailey

Thank you for the opportunity today to introduce a long-time friend and colleague, Monte McNaughton, and his wife, Kate Bartz, in the Speaker’s gallery today. They’re here to acknowledge and honour their daughter Annie, who is a page here today. She’s a page captain, and she’s here today, and they’re here to witness that. I’d also like to add that Monte being a former colleague as well—he was also a page some 35 years ago in this chamber. Anyway, congratulations.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Monte, just so you know, Bob and I wrestled for that introduction in the lobby, and he won. Introduction of visitors.

Official source

Hon. Graydon Smith

I’d like to welcome the family of one of our page captains today, Marigold Mason, whose family made the trip down from Huntsville. Welcome to her parents, Heather Mason and Patrick Mason, and her sister, Cecily Mason. Have a great day here at Queen’s Park.

Official source

MPP Paul Vickers

I’d like to introduce Mike Engelhardt today from my riding. He is also the father of Else. Else has done a great job. She has shown what good spirit is, and hard work and determination.

Official source

Hon. Jill Dunlop

I’d like to welcome a good friend of mine to the House today: Mehdi Shafiei. Welcome to Queen’s Park, and enjoy your day.

Official source

Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam

I’d like to welcome Dvorah Richler, Danielle Portnik, Justine Yim, Erica Louttit, Jennifer Sevigny and Yelena Rogan from Emergent BioSolutions, champions for Narcan. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Official source

Hon. Nolan Quinn

I would like to welcome Dr. Asima Vezina, president and vice-chancellor of International Business University, as well as Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, chancellor of IBU, as well as Mr. Nevzat Gurmen, VP of strategy and growth at IBU.

Official source

Hon. Stephen Crawford

I’d like to welcome Yong Jiang from my riding of Oakville—he’s here with some guests from Halton—and Jeffrey Dunham. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Official source

MPP Stephanie Smyth

I’d love to introduce today a constituent of mine, and you might have heard of him: John Moore from Newstalk 1010. Welcome to your House.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

And no, John, you cannot have the tricorne hat. It stays in the building. I recognize the member for Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston.

Official source

Mr. John Jordan

I want to welcome my lifetime friend and best man at my wedding, Chris Flood.

Official source

Hon. Stephen Lecce

I want to introduce a long-time friend, Antonio Ienco, who’s the director of sponsorship and events and the founder of the Vaughan International Film Festival.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Two notices of opposition day motions were tabled yesterday for consideration the week of April 13, 2026. I’m therefore required to decide which motion will be debated pursuant to standing order 45(d). As it stands, the official opposition and the third party each have two remaining opportunities to file notice of an opposition day. Last week, I selected the motion standing in the name of the leader of the official opposition for debate, and the third party’s notice was removed from the Orders and Notices paper. I believe it is fair for the third party to have its turn as well, and I am selecting the notice of motion standing in the name of the member from Nepean to be debated the week following the constituency week. Please note, since this is already the second time this issue has come up this meeting period, I would urge the official opposition and third party to work with each other to avoid tabling competing notices. I hope that this will not be a regular occurrence throughout the rest of the meeting period. I thank you for your attention. It is now time for question period.

Official source

Ms. Marit Stiles

My question is for the Premier. Premier, your Minister of Health has failed Ontarians. She has failed to comply with the Canada Health Act. She missed the deadline to deliver nurse practitioner-led primary care, and the most she can do, apparently, is shrug her shoulders. The minister admitted that she has no plan or any timeline to bring nurse practitioners into publicly funded primary care. This is going to mean less money for health care from the federal government and more money going out of peoples’ pockets in the province of Ontario. How much money is being left on the table, and what is it going to cost patients?

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

The Minister of Health.

Official source

Hon. Sylvia Jones

Respectfully, perhaps the member opposite hasn’t actually read the letter. I have made it very clear that Ontario will be in compliance, even though the federal government has given no funding and has given no direction, so we are going to see different processes in all of the Canadian jurisdictions. Now, Ontario will lead. We will continue to lead, and we will make sure that we are in compliance because we are already doing that. We have over 170 additional seats as a result of the work of the Minister of Colleges and Universities to train nurse practitioners in the province of Ontario. Why? Because we see the value in a publicly funded system that includes hospitals, that includes primary care, that includes home and community care. We’re doing that work. We’ve made a commitment to nurse practitioners to be part of a publicly funded system.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Back to the Leader of the Opposition.

Official source

Ms. Marit Stiles

Speaker, I don’t know whether this government just has no idea what people are experiencing in northern and rural and so many other parts of Ontario—either that or they just don’t care. When there’s no family doctor in a community, it is nurse practitioners and it is nurse practitioner-led clinics who pick up the slack. But because they’re not funded by your government, it is actually rural residents, northerners and people all across this province that are paying out of pocket for primary care. Also, we are losing nurse practitioners in this province. How much longer are northern and rural patients going to have to pay for primary care with their credit card?

Official source

Hon. Sylvia Jones

I’m not sure that the member opposite is actually following the enhancements and the expansions of our primary care clinicians. We have nurse practitioner-led clinics that we didn’t have a year ago in Ottawa, in Cambridge, in Minto-Mapleton. We are enhancing primary care clinicians, and we absolutely are funding nurse practitioner-led clinics. We’re also making sure that those nurse practitioners work in multi-disciplinary teams where physicians work with nurse practitioners, work with dietitians, work with mental health workers. When we make sure that interprofessional clinicians work together, we have better patient outcomes and we have clinicians who are working together. That is the goal, and that’s what $3.4 billion in primary care expansion is giving us in the province of Ontario.

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

Back to the Leader of the Opposition.

Official source

Ms. Marit Stiles

As long as people in Ontario have to pay with their credit card to get primary care, you are failing the people of Ontario. Meanwhile, in other provinces, patients can go see a nurse practitioner for primary care, and they don’t have to pay with a credit card; they don’t have to pay out of pocket. But here in Ontario, we have seniors lining up in our emergency rooms to fill their prescriptions because they can’t get primary care. There are two and a half million people in Ontario who still cannot access a family doctor or get primary care. You know, nurse practitioners are more than ready to fill the gap, but they need this government to step up and fund their services. You have no plan, you have no timeline, and there’s no action from this government. Why are you denying the people access to primary care?

Official source

Hon. Sylvia Jones

Do you know why nurse practitioners are ready to provide those services? Because we’ve expanded their scope of practice. We are committed to ensuring that primary care is part of nurse practitioners, and nurse practitioners are in primary care. Tell that to the 330,000 people who have a primary care clinician today that didn’t have one less than a year ago. We are making the investments. We are having people step up to ensure that those individuals have access to a primary care provider that absolutely include world-class trained nurse practitioners in the province of Ontario.

Official source

Ms. Marit Stiles

My question is to the Premier. Just yesterday, we learned that the government’s cuts to education funding mean that 40 more vice-principals are going to be fired in the Toronto District School Board. This is going to mean kids getting less attention, less supervision, less support. It means parents get fewer updates, less predictability, more phone calls in the middle of the day telling them to come pick up their kid. This means teachers have fewer resources, fewer options, more stress. These are the choices that this government is making. So to the Premier: Why is this government firing these vital workers, these vice-principals, who keep our schools running?

Official source

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly)

The Minister of Education.

Official source