I love these questions because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the investments that our government, under Premier Ford, has been able to make in primary care multidisciplinary teams—78 new or expanded primary care teams, multidisciplinary teams, which means doctors working with nurse practitioners, working with nurses, with dietitians, with mental health workers. It is historic that we have seen this investment and, respectfully, the investments are happening across Ontario: 78 different teams in Toronto, in Ottawa, in Orillia. Where we see the need, we have made those investments, a tripling of the investment that we announced under our Your Health plan.

But having said that, we’ve already made changes. The expanded scope of practice that we have announced and embarked on, particularly in pharmacies—we now have over 800,000 people who are accessing their local community pharmacist to deal with minor ailments. Those are changes that our government has been able to put in, working with our partners. We’ve expanded scope of practice for nurse practitioners. We’ve expanded scope of practice for RNs. And we continue to do that work because we know people need to be able to see the appropriate clinician, depending on the issues and illnesses that they’re dealing with.

Speaker, numbers matter. It would have been over 200 new physicians in the province of Ontario.

We are actively working with our partners like the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. A single ministerial directive letter ensured that internationally educated graduates who are waiting and want to practise in the province of Ontario have that opportunity. The direction was to quickly assess, review, and when appropriate, license people who are waiting to practise in the province of Ontario. We’ll continue to get the work done. Thank you.

There is no doubt, when these catastrophic events happen, that we all need to work together. The member opposite knows that this was a federal nursing station. We will absolutely be there as a provincial partner, but we have to make sure that all of us are working together for the people of Cat Lake. Thank you.

With the greatest of respect, where was the member when we were increasing scope of practice for pharmacies to ensure that people did not have to access emergency departments as their only option but had the opportunity to visit their local community pharmacy? Some 800,000 people since that policy was brought into place in January 2023 have accessed that service. It’s critically important.

I look at all the investments that we are making in the Toronto region specifically related to the primary care expansion: $110 million that we’re increasing access to primary care. We are getting it done by making the investments very strategically to ensure people get access to care.

When we make investments of $110 million to make sure that we have sufficient primary care access in the province of Ontario, this member and this party votes against it. That’s what we are seeing in this government.

Everything that our government is doing is prioritizing the patient. Whether it is expanding scope of practice for clinicians who are already trained and ready to step up and do additional work, like pharmacists, like nurse practitioners, like registered nurses, we are working directly with them.

And I would say, when we have historic investments of $110 million in 78 primary care expansions, including one in the member’s own region of a nurse practitioner-led clinic, we are making those investments.

Will the member opposite stand up, support those expansions, support that nurse practitioner-led clinic that is going to be able to expand and offer new services and additional patients in your region?

Speaker, you will know that we have made considerable investments in the Niagara region—not, of course, without a lot of advocacy from the member from Niagara West, Sam Oosterhoff.

It is very exciting to see the expansion, the build, the groundbreaking, which, by the way, your member that you sit beside actually attended and acknowledged was great news for South Niagara with the South Niagara Hospital—a multi-million-dollar investment in Niagara region.

The member opposite continues to ignore the fact that as we make those expansions, as we ensure that through a $110-million investment in primary care expansion—which, by the way—facts matter—includes an increase to the base of the existing health care teams.

Interjections.

So to be clear, there are expansions in Hamilton with the Greater Hamilton Health Network and primary care stakeholder council. Is the member opposite going to support that investment?

There are investments in the—

Interjection.

Interjection.

These are historic multidisciplinary teams that are new and expanded across the province of Ontario. Is the member going to support those investments?

Because at the core, what we have is a health care system that was ignored for decades by the previous Liberal government. We are making those changes. We’ve already announced these expansions. Now, all you have to do is tell your community you are going to—

Interjections.

That program alone has seen amazing results. In the city of Guelph, as an example, we saw decreases of almost 80% in terms of the wait times for individuals who go into emergency departments. I was able to speak to the mayor earlier today to talk about how that one program has impacted their community in a very positive way.

Can we do more? Absolutely—and we will continue to do more. I think it’s really important for the member opposite to understand that these programs have been built with the input of our agencies, whether that is hospitals, whether that is nurses like the College of Nurses or the RPNAO, with paramedics, to make sure that the programs we put in place are actually impacting our communities in a positive way—

But we are working with our partners. We’re not opposing the innovation and the changes that they want to bring forward to make sure that we have appropriate health care in our communities closer to home.