This is a petition entitled “A Future for Child Care in Ontario.” This petition calls on the government to establish a committee to address the staffing shortages that child care centres are experiencing across Ontario and to establish a salary scale, increase compensation and improve working conditions.

I support this petition, and I’ll be giving it to page Jasnoor.

My question is to the Minister of Health. While the government is proceeding with its for-profit surgery plan, there are operating rooms in Toronto that are empty. SickKids hospital is not able to open two of their operating rooms because of staffing shortages, at a time when 3,400 children are waiting for necessary surgery.

Minister, why are you proceeding with for-profit surgery delivery when we have operating rooms sitting idle in public hospitals?

I want to go back to the Minister of Health. This isn’t just an issue with SickKids. The University Health Network told me their ability to meet overwhelming surgery demand is not because of a lack of operating rooms; it’s due to a staffing shortage. UHN is cancelling scheduled surgeries because they don’t have the staff. Allowing for-profit surgeries is not going to alleviate the staffing shortage. It’s just not.

Minister, my question to you is this: What is your plan to solve the staffing crisis in public hospitals in order to increase operating room capacity in public hospitals?