LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO - Wednesday 19 April 2006

Ms. Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton): These numbers don't lie. The data are straight from your own wait times website. Despite Ontarians paying more, they're always getting less.

Let's talk about two hospitals that serve my constituency, the Premier's and the parliamentary secretary's from Ottawa West-Nepean. Cancer surgery wait times at the Montfort Hospital are up 51% since last July. And let's look at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, where cancer surgery wait times are up 25%.

Hon. Sandra Pupatello (Minister of Education, minister responsible for women's issues): I want to personally welcome you to the House.

Ms. MacLeod: Thank you.

Minister, you're continuing to make Ontarians get more -- pay more and get less when it comes to cancer surgery waits. Why does your government continue to break its promises for wait times in the city of Ottawa?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: It really is a privilege to welcome a member whose first question sounded so much like mine, and emanating from a very familiar part of the Legislature. I do welcome the honourable member.

I want to say that I thought it was interesting that as she read off her question, she still couldn't lift the words off the page without saying and recognizing that Ontarians are getting more, that, across the breadth of health care investments, from the $2.4 billion that you promised to cut, Ontarians are getting more. So we've got community health centres coming to life all over Ontario, newborn screening capacity that didn't exist, free vaccinations -- a $1.3-billion investment.

Interjections.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: To the very direct question that the honourable member attempts to heckle through the answer, with respect to Champlain, an area of the province that was left behind for MRIs, the Champlain district now reports the third-lowest wait for MRIs in Ontario, a 35% increase, because your party --

The Speaker: Thank you. Final supplementary. The Leader of the Opposition.

Mr. Tory: Of course, no answer --