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Decentralized Democracy

Hon. Todd J. McCarthy

  • MPP
  • Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Durham
  • Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
  • Ontario
  • 23 King St. W Bowmanville, ON L1C 1R2
  • tel: 905-697-1501
  • fax: 905-697-1506
  • Todd.McCarthy@pc.ola.org

  • Government Page
  • May/16/23 3:10:00 p.m.
  • Re: Bill 85 

I’m very pleased to rise and join the debate in this House this afternoon with respect to third reading of Bill 85, the Building a Strong Ontario Act. I will be sharing my time with the member for Markham–Thornhill.

Speaker, Bill 85 represents a thoughtful, transparent plan—a targeted approach to helping people and businesses today, while laying a strong fiscal foundation for future generations, and it contains a path to balance the budget while still delivering on our plan and making the investments that are so necessary for a stronger Ontario. Our plan recognizes the resilience of Ontario’s economy, despite the fact that we are facing economic challenges at this time that are felt worldwide. We are continuing, therefore, to create the environment for a strong Ontario economy, both for today and tomorrow.

Our plan provides more support for employers and Ontario workers. Our plan builds a strong health care system and invests in people and the necessary infrastructure which Ontario needs. It is a plan that prioritizes the critical mining sector in Ontario’s north, which, in turn, will make Ontario’s manufacturing sector globally competitive in the south.

Because of the failed tax-and-spend policies of the previous Liberal government, Ontario lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs between 2004 and 2018. And look where that left Ontario, Speaker: higher debt, lost jobs and a downgrade to Ontario’s credit rating, all under the previous Liberal regime.

Our province, along with the rest of Canada, is headed for some potential uncertainty in the global economy in 2023, and now is not the time for repeating or doubling down on failed policies which we saw in Ontario from 2004 to 2018. The budget bill that has been tabled by the Minister of Finance is an important opportunity for all levels of government, federal, provincial and municipal, to work together on priorities that matter most to families and businesses.

We have set out a financial blueprint to address the ongoing housing affordability crisis, and we welcome co-operation and input from municipalities and the federal government to work with us to build new homes, invest in green spaces, invest in infrastructure and also to defer the harmonized sales tax on all new large-scale, purpose-built projects. This is an issue that affects so many, and we are investing in housing because this budget is about people.

We are building on the work we have already done to make Ontario a global leader in manufacturing and to bring investments and jobs back to Ontario. Our government is proposing a new Ontario-made manufacturing tax credit that would help more Canadian-controlled private corporations and local manufacturing companies invest and expand so that their products which benefit families today and tomorrow are made right here in Ontario.

Ontario is leading the nation, Speaker, in new technological developments which are essential to our energy supply. Our government believes that clean, safe, reliable, emissions-free nuclear energy is essential to our energy supply mix. Therefore, Speaker, I am proud of our government’s investment and support for the continued safe operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and the refurbishment of the Darlington nuclear station within my riding for the construction of the small modular reactor which will be operational by 2028.

Ontario is a leader in battery procurements, with the largest battery storage project in Canada being built right here in our great province of Ontario. In doing so, our support will attract electric vehicle supply chain investments to Ontario, thus making Ontario a leading jurisdiction to build the cars of the future.

Our government is making these investments because our budget is about people. It’s about Ontario’s future and future generations, and that means investing in families and businesses. That will ensure that Ontario can thrive and that Ontario can grow, both presently and into the future.

What I am most proud of is that our government has a solid fiscal path to balance Ontario’s budget in the very near future and, at the same time, this budget bill allows us to increase spending in crucial areas, such as health care, education and infrastructure. Our government’s fiscal blueprint projects a smaller-than-forecasted deficit of $2.2 billion this year, a $1.3-billion deficit next fiscal year and a return to a balanced budget with a surplus of $200 million the following year. This fiscal prudence and the stability that is associated with it provides businesses, credit rating agencies and global investors with the confidence to invest in Ontario, because those partners understand that our government has its fiscal house in order, and to quote our Minister of Finance, “What’s good for Ontario is good for Canada.” This principle is essential to Ontario’s success within Canada and for Canada.

Now, in this budget, our government is investing more in health care to reduce wait-lists and provide better outcomes and to add more family doctors, more nurses, more PSWs. These investments and improvements will connect Ontarians to more convenient care through their OHIP cards.

Bill 85 will, if passed, invest $1 billion over three years to get more people connected to care in the comfort of their own homes and within their communities. Now, we are accelerating these investments to bring funding in 2023-24 up to $569 million, which includes nearly $300 million to support contract rate increases to stabilize the home and community care workforce. Our government is providing an additional $425 million over three years for mental health and addictions, including a 5% increase in the base funding of community-based mental health and addictions service providers. We are funding an additional $80 million over the next three years to further expand enrolment for nursing programs. Our government will invest an additional $202 million each year in supportive housing and homelessness programs in Ontario.

So despite the negative assertions of the opposition, we are investing in public services. As a result, our budget improves public services by making it more convenient and faster for Ontarians to access those public services. We are investing in services. We are investing in people. We are investing in the future of Ontario and leading Canada’s growth and prosperity as a result.

As we come near to the conclusion of the debate on Bill 85 for third reading, our government, I submit, has presented to the people of Ontario a responsible, transparent and common-sense budget that will support families, workers and businesses across this great province. Our government believes in a strong and resilient Ontario, because it is the people of Ontario who make it so.

I urge all members of this House—in particular, I urge members of the official opposition, His Majesty’s loyal opposition, to reconsider their position, to carefully read the budget bill, to carefully consider the debates in this House and to come together to pass this budget. Because we owe it to our children and our grandchildren to invest responsibly in their future today. If we do that, we can and will have a prosperous tomorrow for the next generations to come.

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  • Apr/6/23 9:10:00 a.m.
  • Re: Bill 91 

On behalf of my constituents in the riding of Durham, it is my pleasure to join the debate this morning to speak about moving forward with our government’s bill, the Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act, 2023.

Mr. Speaker, this bill confirms our government’s commitment that was made to my constituents and all Ontarians to improve Ontario’s competitiveness in several key areas by reducing regulatory burdens for people and businesses in the province of Ontario.

When I was here yesterday, I was pleased to hear that the House leader for His Majesty’s loyal opposition supports reducing red tape. So maybe the NDP is finally getting it. As I have indicated before, when we reduce regulatory burdens and red tape and we grow the economy, and when businesses prosper, we create an environment where there are thousands more jobs—there is good news on that front today—and we have the revenue to fund our core public services in health care, education, social services, infrastructure. That’s what it’s about. A strong economy is what it’s all about. Government does not create jobs or create a strong economy; government creates the environment for both.

Ontario’s spring 2023 red tape reduction package is about that—creating the environment for growth and prosperity for all. It was introduced in this House by my colleague the Minister of Red Tape Reduction, and it includes 42 new initiatives that, when fully implemented, are estimated to save businesses, not-for-profits and the broader public sector $119 million in net regulatory compliance costs—$119 million in savings. Think of how that money can be reinvested back into Ontario businesses and Ontario’s manufacturing sector. Think of the positive impact that would have on business growth, job creation and strengthening Ontario’s economy for the next generation—and to support all of our important public services that the people of this province depend on the government to fund.

Mr. Speaker, we have already seen the positive results in Ontario’s productivity.

Since taking office in 2018, just five years ago, our government has introduced numerous red tape reduction packages. This legislation will be our 10th red tape reduction bill. Our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford and the Minister of Red Tape Reduction, has solidified our strong track record of improving access to government services and making it easier to invest and build in Ontario. To date, we have taken more than 450 actions to reduce regulatory burdens, all without compromising health, safety or the environment. This legislation continues to build on that progress, and we must move swiftly and decisively to pass the Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act for the sake of businesses, entrepreneurs, families, and the next generation of Ontarians.

To summarize for my colleagues in this House, some of the key items in this package include:

—first, amending the Building Broadband Faster Act to help speed up the delivery of high-speed Internet. High-speed Internet access must come to every community by the end of 2025. I know many of my constituents in the rural parts of my riding—families and businesses residing specifically in Columbus, Enniskillen, Burketon and Tyrone—have been asking this government and the previous Liberal government for the same high-speed Internet capacity that the rest of the province has had for the last 15 years. I say to the citizens of my riding in those communities, stay tuned—promises made, promises kept by Premier Ford and this government;

—second, strengthening occupational health and safety in the mining sector by changing regulations to reflect modern technology and to better protect workers;

—third, enabling the next phases of carbon storage innovation by piloting technology that has the potential to store 30 years’ worth of carbon emissions;

—fourth, implementing The Hague Convention on international recovery of child support, reducing frustration for families involved in the province’s child and spousal support orders system. This will enable enforcement of support orders in more than 55 countries;

—fifth, improving safety on Ontario’s roads and highways by updating the Highway Traffic Act to prohibit drivers from overtaking working snowplow operators unless a full lane is available.

When it comes to reducing red tape, our government is getting it done, and it has never been more important for us to continue this important work. It is a significant barrier to our productivity and Ontario’s economic competitiveness to do nothing, as the previous Liberal government did, and in fact, to add to that burden, as the previous Liberal government did. And what we saw is what happened—it discouraged trade with other jurisdictions; it hinders investment and did hinder investment under the 15-year Liberal regime; it hindered innovation with global partners; and it cost Ontario jobs. It cost Ontarians jobs—300,000-plus manufacturing jobs fled the province. But under the leadership of our government, jobs are coming back by the tens of thousands.

Madam Speaker, I would like to elaborate on some of the details within this package; in particular, some elements that the constituents from my riding of Durham have repeatedly requested, and now our government is delivering.

We are taking steps to amend the Building Broadband Faster Act—as indicated, proposing legislative amendments to ensure this gets done. In today’s technology era, where everything, including most government programs and ministries, requires online access and enrolment, it is absurd to think that there are still some parts of Ontario, right here in the nearby GTA, that are unable to access safe and reliable Internet. While that is the legacy of the Liberal regime of 15 years, supported in part by the NDP, that legacy will be wiped away as we get it done and bring broadband Internet to all. This is a necessity of life.

Once the needs of all Ontarians in underserviced Internet areas are met, they, along with all Ontarians, will benefit from the amendments we are making to the Pension Benefits Act to include electronic communications. This was initiated by the Ministry of Finance, and our government is reducing administrative requirements for provincially regulated pension plans and keeping costs down by proposing changes to the Pension Benefits Act. These would allow pension plan administrators to continue to send electronic communications to members who retire, without the need for paper or electronic reminder notes.

My riding is made up of several agricultural stakeholders and farmers, who, for generations, have dedicated their lives to producing homegrown Ontario products, to feed our families and export their products to other parts of Canada and North America. I’ve listened to the farmers in my riding, and they have told me how red tape and regulatory burdens have cost their farming operations tens of thousands of dollars.

Amanda Kiezebrink is the fourth-generation owner of her family’s farm in north Oshawa, and she informed me of the specific negative impact of regulatory burdens and red tape under the Liberals. She supports our government’s plan to get it done.

With respect to the Milk Act proposals, these will assist many dairy farmers in Ontario, like Sargent’s dairy farm in north Bowmanville. Here, Ontario is proposing to amend regulation 761, Milk and Milk Products, under the Milk Act, which would reduce the burden on the dairy processing industry while improving food safety. We’re getting it done for Sargent’s dairy farm and other dairy farmers. That is a promise we have made to Ontarians to provide the environment to produce healthy, homegrown food, and a promise that we intend to keep so that farmers thrive.

As a trial lawyer for over 30 years before being elected, I’ve witnessed first-hand some of the regulatory delays and burdens placed on the legal profession and the courts.

There are four areas where the Ministry of the Attorney General is acting to move forward to modernize our courts. Amendments, as well, in this bill include amendments to the Creditors’ Relief Act, amendments to the Execution Act, amendments to the Trustee Act, and amendments to the Courts of Justice Act.

Lastly, our government has proposed amendments to a regulation under the Law Society Act which would make the Law Society Tribunal function more effectively by recognizing the expertise of the chair and giving the chair of the tribunal the choice to assign either a one-member or a three-member panel where regulation states cases must be heard by three members.

I am proud to support this bill, and I look forward to hearing further debate.

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