Speaker, you know when you’re getting close to the truth, because you get a desperate response like that. That’s the truth. Multiple independent officers of the Legislature have warned this government about avoiding disclosure rules. Explosive reports from the Auditor General, the Integrity Commissioner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner and RCMP criminal investigation under way into this government—it all shows the same thing. This is a government that wasn’t just deleting emails related to the greenbelt. They were also using their personal emails to avoid detection.

The Premier himself conducts his government business on his personal devices and refuses to disclose the details of those phone records to the public, even though it’s required by law. When the Liberal government got caught covering up their gas plant scandal, you know what happened? Someone went to jail. Why is the Premier following the Liberals down the same path of code words, cover up and criminal investigations?

Interjections.

So far this year, there have already been 94—four fires just this week. But inexplicably, the budget to fight those wildfires is down 37.5%. And you know what, Speaker?—

Interjections.

Interjections.

So I’m going to ask the Premier, who’s sitting in his seat right now, if he could stand up, answer this question: Can he explain why he thinks this is enough when those who fight the fires are telling you it’s not?

Interjections.

I want to be very specific with my question to the Premier: Will the Premier assure Ontarians that there will be fully staffed crews and planes for every single region that needs it?

Interjections.

This question is for the Premier. People have a right to know what their government is doing on their behalf and with their tax dollars. It’s why we have strict rules around things like government communications and record-keeping. It’s why emails of senior government officials are subject to freedom-of-information laws.

But this government and this Premier don’t seem to think that that kind of transparency matters. We’ve seen a disturbing pattern of government members and senior staff using their personal accounts for government business. On Friday, the Premier himself confirmed that his chief of staff regularly uses his personal email for government business. My question is, why?

Let me try to tell you why, because there’s only one reason why this government would repeatedly be using personal emails to avoid detection. These aren’t just emails about upcoming staff meetings; we are talking about major government decisions that impact the public. We’re talking about the greenbelt. We’re talking about secret meetings. We’re talking about code words and government business that was being done on massage tables in Vegas. They did everything they could to cover their tracks.

Now, the Premier himself is doubling down. He’s saying his chief of staff did nothing wrong when he repeatedly gave false testimony to the Integrity Commissioner. So does the Premier think he or his chief of staff are above the law?

My question is to the Premier. Back in February, I asked the Premier about discrepancies in his chief of staff’s testimony to the Integrity Commissioner. You’re going to recall that Mr. Sackville testified that he didn’t discuss removal criteria related to the greenbelt with anyone until October 27. We now have evidence that he actually got an email with all the greenbelt removal criteria to his personal email account 10 days earlier.

Can the Premier explain why his chief of staff provided false testimony to the Integrity Commissioner?

Why did the Premier’s right-hand man apparently mislead the Integrity Commissioner on multiple occasions, and what consequences is he going to face?

This is the third senior staff member from this Premier’s office to have been caught given inaccurate testimony to the Integrity Commissioner. This is a government that has shown they have no respect for the people’s right to know.

I want to remind the government that their former minister was forced to resign when it was revealed that he lied under oath to the Integrity Commissioner about—

Interjection.

This question is for the Premier. The Information and Privacy Commissioner has confirmed that she’s going to be releasing a special report on his government’s conduct in relation to the greenbelt scandal. She’s looking into allegations that political staffers in the government regularly deleted emails related to the greenbelt, and that they used their personal accounts, in an apparent attempt to cover their tracks.

The last time the commissioner released a special report into the deletion of emails by political staffers, I think we all remember what happened. It triggered a police investigation, and that Liberal Premier’s chief of staff went to prison.

So will the Premier enlighten us: What will this latest investigative report reveal?

But there’s more. Earlier today, Global News revealed new evidence that the Premier’s chief of staff used his personal email account to conduct government business on dozens of occasions. That directly contradicts his sworn testimony to the Integrity Commissioner when he claimed, “I do not conduct government business on my personal email.” Guess what? He does.

The Premier’s chief of staff appears to have repeatedly and directedly contradicted his sworn testimony to the Integrity Commissioner under oath. So, Speaker, to the Premier: Will he demand his chief of staff’s resignation?

An FOI document obtained by the NDP has also revealed that the Premier’s director of stakeholder relations was also using his personal email to set up a meeting and discuss the greenbelt scheme with one of those land speculators, Sergio Manchia. You’re going to recall, Speaker, that Ryan Amato told his colleagues, “The Premier needs to stop calling this guy.” Well, you know what? He was calling this guy. So was his director of stakeholder relations.

So I want to know from the Premier, did he discuss this greenbelt property with Mr. Manchia, with his director of stakeholder relations or any other public official in the summer of 2022?

This question is for the Premier again. We’ve known for decades—decades—that mercury was being dumped in the Wabigoon-English River system and that it was poisoning the people of Grassy Narrows. First, it gets into the fish, which is central to the way of life there, and now, of course, devastating the community.

Last week, a new study revealed that industrial discharge from the Dryden mill site is making that mercury contamination even worse. Shamefully, Speaker, there has been no comment from this government, these ministers, since this new information came to light—crickets. Nothing.

When will this government commit to cleaning up the river of all of the mercury that’s contaminating Grassy Narrows?

Good morning, Speaker. Government members have applauded the Premier’s frequent use of his personal phone to conduct government business, a flagrant disregard for the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s recommendation that government members and political staff only use government devices and platforms. This government should know the rules. In fact, that guidance came after the Premier’s own staff were caught using personal email accounts to arrange for his souped-up van.

My question is to the Premier. Did the Premier intentionally use his personal phone to communicate in secret with people who have business before the government?

But the Premier has been singularly focused on hiding records of these phone calls and text messages. He is even appealing freedom-of-information requests to avoid sharing those records. Will the Premier withdraw his appeals of these FOI requests?

What we do know is that a Global News investigation found that the Premier didn’t use his government phone once during a whole one-week period in November, the exact period when the government decided to carve up the greenbelt.

To the Premier: Did he use a personal device instead of an official government device to avoid access-to-freedom-information laws?

This government is under criminal investigation by the RCMP for trying to enrich their friends and donors to the tune of more than $8 billion in the greenbelt grab. One of the most important questions that requires further investigation: What did the Premier know? When did he know it?

My question to the Premier is, what is he hiding on his personal phone about the greenbelt grab?

I’m going to ask again of the Premier, what is he hiding on his personal phone about these suspicious land deals?

Interjections.

And Speaker, I submitted a new Integrity Commissioner complaint yesterday about what appears to be an inappropriate relationship between a former government minister and a land speculator.

But it begs the question: Is this the standard operating procedure for this government? Did the member from Mississauga East–Cooksville just get caught?

Mr. Speaker, the public deserves to know: What would we find on the Premier’s personal phone about this government’s secret backroom deals?