 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The question is for the Premier. Yesterday I asked the Premier about the ongoing RCMP investigation into his government, but we didn't get much of a response. The Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing did say that the government would assist the RCMP, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Integrity Commissioner and their multiple investigations of this government. If the Premier has nothing to hide and wants to assist the Privacy Commissioner, then why is he sending government lawyers to block the disclosure of information about government business that's being conducted on his personal phone? And to reply, the government house leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As you know, of course, the Premier follows all of the rules set up by this House with respect to and set up by the government with respect to use of phones and all other things. So Mr. Speaker, but look, at the same time later on today, Speaker, we will have an opportunity to vote on the fall economic statement. It is a statement that will help refocus, continue to refocus us on cutting taxes for people, ensuring that the people of the province of Ontario have more homes built for them. I hope the Leader of the Opposition will give some thought to supporting us because there are some very valuable pieces within that legislation that will continue to move the province for, ensure affordability for the people of the province of Ontario. I think that is what the people of this province are focused on, Speaker. I think they're a little less focused on the Premier's cell phone use. As you know, she and all people of the province of Ontario can call the Premier anytime they like. He has put his number out there and encouraged her to do that if she needs some advice on the voting after the... The supplementary question. Speaker, well, maybe I need to call the Premier's personal cell phone to finally get an answer. Yesterday, the Toronto Star quoted anonymous government staffers who said the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and his former Chief of Staff were not the real masterminds behind the sketchy $8.3 billion green belt grab. They said, quote, everyone knows they were doing what they were told. So to the Premier, was it the Premier who told them what to do? Speaker, I mean, honestly, look, the integrity commissioner already spoke about that. And as I've said, we made a public policy decision which was based on building more homes for the people of the province of Ontario, full stop. That decision was not supported by the people of the province of Ontario because the process did not meet their expectations. But let there be no doubt, Madam, Mr. Speaker, that we will continue to move forward with building homes for the people of the province of Ontario. This isn't about who calls the Premier. This isn't about the green belt. This is about longstanding MP ideology against building homes because if it was any differently, they wouldn't have nominated a candidate in Kitchener who has literally voted against every single housing development in the community, Mr. Speaker. She went as far as to say she couldn't support thousands of affordable homes being built because it was too close to a pickleball court, Mr. Speaker. That is the ideology of the NDP. That's what this is all about, and we won't stand for it. Final supplementary. I hope that the Premier will answer this time. I'm going to go back to the Premier. This government gave preferential treatment to insider green belt speculators, enriching them to the tune of $8.3 billion at the public's expense without building a single new home. It included the Duffins Rouge farmland that was supposed to be protected, Speaker. The Conservatives scheme undid those protections and made their insider friend $6.6 billion richer. The government's already three ministers down, so to the Premier, how many ministers will have to take the fall before he fesses up? Mr. Affairs and housing. Thank you, Speaker. Now, that is absolutely positively incorrect, right? That is completely incorrect, but facts don't usually matter for the NDP. But let me tell you a fact that does matter. Let me tell you a fact that does matter. In Kitchener, where they had an opportunity, where the councillor who they have now elected to be their candidate in Kitchener had an opportunity to vote to improve and build 1,140 units in downtown, the NDP candidate said no. When it was a 10 story 132 unit condo development, the NDP candidate said no. When it was a 532 residential unit development, the NDP candidate said no. $600,000 to build affordable homes, the NDP candidate said no. 238 units for downtown, the NDP candidate said no. 211 units for downtown, the NDP candidate said no. She said yes to pickleball, no to thousands of people living in Kitchener. That's their star candidate and that's why the people don't trust them. Order. Order. Restart the clock. Next question, Leader of the Opposition. The members opposite are looking pretty uncomfortable these days. They're probably wondering who this Premier is going to throw under the bus next. Speaker, the question is for the Premier. The people of Ontario, they see a pattern of preferential treatment for this government. The former Minister of Health who got the ball rolling so that private companies could profit off of our public health care services is now a lobbyist for the largest chain of private surgical centres anywhere in the country. A clinic she actually represents is now receiving more funding to provide the same services that are delivered in public hospitals and that's exactly what we have been warning was going to happen. So to the Premier, why is the province paying private for profit clinics as much as four times more than public hospitals for the same procedures? Members will please take their seats. Thank you, Speaker. I don't know, colleagues. Do you feel uncomfortable? No, I feel pretty good today. I feel pretty good. I feel pretty good. We're building homes in the province of Ontario. We're building new hospitals for the people of the province of Ontario. We're building long-term care for the people of Ontario. Now I know that the candidate in Kitchener was against go-train expansion because They were too noisy. They're too noisy and they start too early. But I don't know, colleagues. I feel pretty comfortable. And I'm feeling even more comfortable. I'm feeling even more comfortable because we're going to pass a fall economic statement for the people of the province of Ontario later on today and even more comfortable that because of this Premier the carbon tax has fallen off the table across the country, not just in Ontario. And you know who agrees with us? The MPP funded. I'll remind the members to make their comments through the chair. Start the clock. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. This is a government that will say absolutely anything to avoid answering the questions of the people of Ontario. Criminal investigation by the RCMP. The former Minister of Health would have been responsible, Speaker, for transferring licenses for publicly funded surgical centers, surgical services to for-profit clinics. Under her watch, funding for one private-for-profit surgical center, Don Mills, has quadrupled since 2018, reaching $5.2 million by 2022-23. The same cataract surgery that costs $500 in a public hospital costs more than $1,200 at Don Mills. So to the Premier, and I hope you will answer this question, how is hemorrhaging public funds innovative or cost-effective healthcare? Tell us. To reply to the Premier. Well, through you, Mr. Speaker, what the opposition isn't telling people, that there was 14,000 cataract surgeries were off the list of backlogs, that people can see, they can read the books to their grandchildren. That's what they aren't saying. They aren't saying 49,000 hours of MRI and CT CAT scans last year alone paid by OHIP, not their credit card. What the opposition isn't saying, how since we've been to office, we've hired and registered over 63,000 nurses, 8,000 doctors. Last year alone, 15,000 nurses came on board. We're spending over $50 billion renovating or building new hospitals right across this province. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? They voted against it. They voted against more nurses, more doctors, building more medical universities, building more hospitals. That's what they stand for. Final supplementary. Nurses, Speaker, nurses can't leave the public health system fast enough under this government's watch. 2.2 million Ontarians don't have a family practitioner in this province. Here's what's really going on. ClearPoint is a wholly owned company of Kensington Capital Partner Limited. That's a private equity firm. They're not healthcare experts or medical professionals. They're a for-profit corporation. Their priority is to maximize profits for their shareholders. These profits come from overbilling patients, from charging unnecessary fees, from cutting costs by compromising quality. So back to the Premier. Why does this government keep prioritizing patient profits over, sorry, private profits over patient care? Why? The Member for England and Lawrence, Parliamentary Assistant Minister of Health. Thank you to the Member for the question. I think the Member had it right when she tripped over her wording there. We are prioritizing patients. We are prioritized, brought about by COVID. We also have a lot more demand and we are making sure that people have access to surgeries and scans and screens as quickly as possible. And that's what the people of Ontario want. The Don Mills Surgical Unit has been funded since 1960 with licenses renewed every two to five years under every stripe of government, every political stripe. So the NDP renewed, the Liberals renewed and the Conservatives have renewed the license for that centre and they have been funded the same way on a procedure basis. We have also added premiums to clear the backlog brought about by COVID and to get more surgeries done. We're going to continue to make sure patients get care as quickly and efficiently as possible in whatever... Thank you. Next question, the Member for Niagara Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Through you to the Premier. The Premier continues to break his government's promise to make municipalities whole for revenue losses due to Bill 23. There was no money to do this in the budget or the recent fall economic statement. The Building Faster Fund won't come close to replacing those lost revenues and is based on shovels in the ground, something municipalities have no control over. Municipalities control approvals, developers control shovels. The planning system is in chaos and municipal taxpayers are facing massive tax increases. When will the Premier stop bullying municipalities and finally adopt policies that will actually get more homes built, such as ending exclusionary zoning and investing in non-market housing? The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. What the member opposite is talking about because since this government has been in office, we have seen housing starts increase year after year after year, right? And we're not just seeing it at one level, we're seeing purpose-built housing and also increased to record levels, right? You know why? Because of the policies of this Premier, this caucus, this government, on both sides of the House Speaker, we're not doing anything against our municipalities. We're working with them. We have said that the Building Faster Fund that was brought in, Mr. Speaker, it is about incentivizing those communities that could actually get shovels in the ground, Mr. Speaker. That is what the NDP like, right? They like permits, they like process, they like focus groups. But when it comes to actually delivering, they back off, just like Debbie Chapman in Kitchener. She won't even give a permit for crying out loud. If it's up to Debbie Chapman in Kitchener, the thousands of homes, you know why Kitchener won't get BFF? Because people like Debbie Chapman, the NDP star candidate, won't allow shovels in the ground. Stop nominating people like that and we'll get more shovels in the ground, but don't worry. A supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, this Premier ignored the vast majority of recommendations from his own Housing Affordability Task Force. And instead wasted over a year on municipal power grabs and attacks on the Greenbelt and Ontario's farmland. Municipalities are fed up. Not only because of the cost this Premier has dumped onto local taxpayers and the preferential treatment for his speculator friends, but also because all this chaos is making it harder for municipalities to get homes built. Will the Premier compensate municipalities for all revenue losses due to Bill 23 on housing targets they can actually control? Yes or no? Mr. Speaker, please take their seats. Recognize the Premier to reply. Mr. Speaker, you know, they did a great, you know, our task force did a great job. We've implemented over 21 recommendations. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? They based it on 200,000 people. Just to inform the NDP, I don't know if they've seen it or not, over 800,000 people have arrived once last year alone. The fastest-growing region in North America bar none. But what they don't say is how we had the most starts in 2021, 99,566, 2022, 96,000, and again, Mr. Speaker, we're pouring money into housing. The building faster fund is $1.2 billion. I told my colleagues in the U.S. that they came up, the Senators and Governors, that we have to pay municipalities to build. They almost fell off their chair when I told them that. $1.2 billion. The smaller rural areas, another $500 million. I can guarantee one thing, Mr. Speaker, we're building that $1.5 million homes as they vote against every single piece of legislation we have. The next question, the member for Bradford Brandt. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. The NDP and liberal members in this House are standing by idly as the federal carbon tax continues to hurt businesses and drive up costs for households. Rather than picking up the phone and calling the Prime Minister and his right hand man, Jagmeet Singh, to scrap the tax they choose to turn their backs on their constituents. Unlike them, we will always stand up for the businesses and people of the province of Ontario. That's why from day one our government has opposed this terrible carbon tax. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the federal carbon tax is affecting businesses in Ontario? Thank you. Thank you very much. We were here at midnight last night and I had an opportunity to speak about this very topic and I'll tell you what we said last night. That when we travel around the world and talk to businesses they ask you, what the heck is this thing called a carbon tax and how much is it going to cost my business and I can tell you we have to fight for every single job that we bring here 27 billion in new auto in the last three years. 3 billion in new life sciences in the last year. Tens of billions of new tech in the life in the last three years. Can you imagine if we did not have to sit there and explain this carbon tax how much more business would be coming into Ontario because when they hear that number that they have to pay a tax on their fuel, on their goods on everything they wear, on everything they consume they realize this is becoming expensive and that is a deterrent to doing economic development in our province. Supplementary question. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response. As the minister mentioned the federal carbon tax is making everything more expensive. The Liberals and the NDP who still support this tax are out of touch with businesses and the hardworking people in this province. For them the carbon tax is driving up costs across the board. It has made it harder for people to heat their homes and harder for them to put food on the table. Businesses are skyrocketing energy costs thanks to the carbon tax. We hear these concerns day after day after day and that's why we will not stop until this tax is scrapped. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how the carbon tax is affecting businesses and families across the province of Ontario. Thank you. Minister of economic development, job creation and trade. Thank you very much Speaker. The Liberal government have never seen this. We are here showing them an example. We have reduced the price of gasoline by 10 cents a liter and they have increased taking the opposite approach they have increased the price of gasoline by 15 cents a liter on its way to 37 cents a liter. We have shown them lower taxes equals greater jobs in Ontario and across the country. We have lowered the cost of doing business by 8 billion dollars 100,000 men and women go to work today that didn't go to work 5 years ago Speaker. That's exactly what happens when you lower costs, when you lower taxes when you lower the price of gas you get the economy moving but we have this brick wall that we hit as they increased the price of gas 15 cents going to go to 37 cents we need them to drop the carbon tax. The next question Member for Nicol Belt. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Last week, two Toronto pharmacy declared publicly that they are no longer administering vaccine due to major problems with the province new vaccine distributor. You know who that is Speaker? Shoppers Drug Mart. Loblach Chain of Pharmacy. Those pharmacists reported receiving only 10% of their orders having to cancel days of treatment. A real headache. Does the Premier see a conflict of interest in having Shoppers Drug Mart responsible for distributing vaccine to their competitors? Member for Eglinton Lawrence the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. Thank you the Member opposite for the question. We are using the Shoppers Drug Mart vaccine distribution system because it is the system that is everywhere in Ontario making sure that it is the same system we have been using during COVID and it was very successful in getting vaccines everywhere but it is always up to the pharmacy whether they want to opt in or opt out to providing those vaccines and sometimes pharmacies also don't order the number of vaccines that they end up being delivered to their population. They can adjust what their order is and get more vaccines. Order. Shoppers Drug Mart distribution of vaccine are coming from every part of the province. The pharmacist in Northern Ontario reached out to me. Last year she was alone so she only administered limited number of vaccine. This year she is able to recruit three new pharmacists to come and help her. She got vaccine clinic book solid for weeks on end but no vaccine as the distributor will only give her a percentage last year. Public health handle vaccine distribution in Ontario for decades with no issue. They knew they listened to the local provider they were reliable. Does the Premier understand that handing over the distribution of vaccine over to their friends at law of laws is having a drastic consequence drastic consequences on the health of Ontarians? The Premier Realized it's a new vaccine and if I could go to the factory and get all the vaccines we could for everyone in North America I'd do it but it doesn't work that way and the largest distributor in the province and in the entire country are the 4,000 pharmacies which Shoppers Drug Mart has the best distribution centre anywhere in the country. That's the reason during the pandemic we involved the pharmacies and we set records around the world we're vaccinating over 100,000 people a day thanks to the great partners and the pharmacies it's convenient care close to home. That's what it's all about. Thank you the next question the member for Carlton Thank you Mr. Speaker. Question is for the Minister of Energy. We've spent a lot of time talking about the carbon tax since the federal liberal government announced they would be exempting only a very small percentage of Canadians from the tax leaving Ontario out in the cold. One of the consistent themes of this debate is that there are better ways to pursue climate targets without jeopardizing affordability for hardworking families and individuals unfortunately the federal government seems unwilling to listen to the feedback from the provinces. Speaker through you can the minister please share his views regarding the negative impact that the carbon tax and other reckless energy policies are having on all Ontarians. Thank you. I the Minister of Energy. Thanks for the question. When the Ontario Liberal Party was in power here in Ontario we saw them make so many mistakes on the energy file admittedly after the fact they announced that yes we were wrong in making so many of these choices driving up the cost of electricity in the province and driving up the cost of fuel and we're watching in real time as their federal counterparts already under Justin Trudeau are doing the exact same thing first with the carbon tax we warned them that it was going to drive up the cost of everything Mr. Speaker and the Bank of Canada now confirms that that is the fact we're seeing inflation rise and we're seeing the cost of everything rise Mr. Speaker and now we're worried that the next shoe to drop from the federal Liberal government is on the way it's called the clean electricity we're trying to make our electricity across not just Ontario but across the country more expensive and less stable and I look to give you some more details on the clean electricity regulations supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker and through you thank you to the Minister for his answer it is very concerning to hear from the Minister about potentially more damaging energy regulations that are under consideration by the federal government I know that my constituents in Carlton are already concerned about the negative impact that the carbon tax is having on their household budgets the carbon tax is making their lives more unaffordable as it drives up the price of fuel, groceries and goods and services they are also concerned to see that the federal government is only looking out for certain provinces and leaving others out in the cold Speaker can the Minister please elaborate on the negative impact of additional energy regulations on Ontarians thank you Thank you very much to the member from Carlton Federal Minister Stephen Gibo has shared draft regulations that are rigid and they ignore the need for flexibility that's being asked for by provinces territories and our electricity system operators based on their real world experience here in Ontario our independent electricity system operator the ISO has told my ministry that these draft regulations would slow the electrification of our economy by compromising the reliability and affordability of our electricity system here and like with the carbon tax the federal government is on the verge of making a costly and short sighted mistake because they won't listen to their provincial counterparts and more importantly they won't listen to those who operate the systems we hope that the federal government will work with us so that we can build a 100% clean grid while supporting reliability and security if the federal government won't listen to those who operate our electricity systems we're in for more big problems in our country and in our province the next question is for Toronto St. Paul recently it was announced by government agency Metrolinx that staff must meet a monthly quota for fare evasion tickets evidence based research points to the harm fare quotas have so long as systemic barriers remain in place that disproportionately mental health challenges low income the unhoused and bi-pop folks folks who experience more differential treatment from authority due to outright discrimination and unconscious bias for instance Sam a racialized constituent years back was fined 240 bucks for fare evasion simply because their Presto car didn't work a system malfunction that's happened to me too speaker she wasn't believed and the question is why my question to the premier why is this government implementing fare evasion quotas that may additionally harm communities certain ones more than others especially during an affordability crisis instead of boosting revenue by properly funding transit to improve service and ridership thank you speaker thank you Mr. Speaker affordability is the number one issue in the movement across the nation and in our province under the leadership of premier Doug Ford we are making life more affordable Mr. Speaker by eliminating double fare triple fare making it one fare Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker this one fare program will save riders $1,600 every year per rider Mr. Speaker the great news is our government is fully funding Mr. Speaker and guess what Mr. Speaker the Liberals and NDP voted against this bill against this one not just once Mr. Speaker they have voted against twice thank you Mr. Speaker that's a romantic question thank you speaker these fare quotas are metro links is frankly this government's ploy to fill funding gaps that they themselves are responsible for instead they're penalizing riders while metro links has a $1,000,000 at its helm 59 VPs 19 C suite executives that's where you find the money to help folks in St. Paul's and across the province travel this is also while metro links Eglinton crosstown is three years delayed Speaker and billions of dollars over budget many communities across Ontario including mine have been left stranded when it comes to transit infrastructure that should be the priority of this government not propping up discriminatory practices on the backs of folks who feel it the most my question is back to the premier if he'd actually answer his own questions will you put an end to problematic fare evasion quotas and put your focus on making sure metro links finishes what they started so our communities can actually travel from point A to B thank you Mr. Speaker students seniors adults they have asked for more affordability when it comes to transit and that's exactly how our government is delivering under the leadership of the premier for Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker the one fare program applies to GTHA whether riders coming from Burry Transit, Brampton Transit Burlington, Bradford West Gillomtsbury, Durham Region, Grand River Golf Hamilton, Milton Miss Saga, Oakville and York Region all the transit riders Mr. Speaker starting early 2024 they will save $1,600 and Mr. Speaker our government is fully funding that and we are on track to deliver this Mr. Speaker and the people can use these $1,600 towards their family towards their kids and towards their future Mr. Speaker and Mr. Speaker we will continue to build transit across GTHA we will continue to build a Northlander that liberals cancel and we will make sure we will bring Northlander by 2026 thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and good morning my questions for the premier Mr. Speaker Ontario is in the midst of an affordability crisis and this government has had five years to act despite that grocery prices are up, hydro prices are up, mortgage payments and rents are up and transit prices are up after five years after five years Mr. Speaker Ontarians are asking themselves are we better off now this government has the power to act the premier has the power to act so Mr. Speaker will the premier support the elimination of the HST from home heating and get it done before Christmas get it done Order, the premier can reply am I actually hearing this correctly coming from the liberals Mr. Speaker that actually bankrupt this province close 600 schools fire thousands of nurses built 600 homes on long-term care when we're on our way to 30,000 in 15 years Order, had the largest sub-sovereign debt in the entire world highest hydro rates in the entire world the nerve what we're doing, we're doing the opposite we're raising tax on the people of Ontario we reduced taxes we got rid of the license registration tax we got rid of the polls on the 412418 we reduced gas tax by 10.7 cents Mr. Speaker and we gave a tax break to the lowest income people in Ontario 1.1 million people all they know how to do is raise taxes over and over again we're cleaning up their mess of 15 years how do I south come to order how do I south come to order supplementary question thank you Mr. President thank you Speaker we are facing an affordability crisis in Ontario the government have five years to improve the quality of life of Ontarians however there are still families left aside the cost of grocery is more expensive the cost of hydro is more expensive market prices are more expensive even transit is more expensive expensive five years later Ontarians are wondering if their situation is getting better the government has the power to act will the premier support the elimination of the HST on home heating and will they apply all those changes before Christmas to help Ontarian families you know what was more expensive under their administration for 15 years ask the 300,000 people that lost their jobs under their administration then talk to the 700,000 people that can put food on their table now that have great employment and hundreds of thousands of more people will be employed by the end of our mandate we've seen businesses invest unprecedented amounts in Ontario more than anywhere in North America we're actually leading North America in job creation, economic development Mr. Speaker just two months ago we created more jobs in Ontario than all 50 states combined that's what they need to do they need to get on track and make sure that they cut the taxes cut the carbon taxes and start voting with us instead of against us because you created the mess we've asked the member for Ottawa South to come to order and the minister of municipal affairs and housing to come to order are we ready to start again? let's start the clock the member for Thornhill my question is for the minister of finance you know the carbon tax hurts our economy and raises the price on everything from filling up our cars to heating our homes in the winter so putting a carbon tax on our economy it hurts our farmers entrepreneurs, businesses, families and individuals so a month ago the bank of Canada reported that the federal carbon tax was responsible for a mere 0.15% increase in inflation but now the figures have changed the governor of the bank of Canada now says that the correct impact of the carbon tax is actually four times higher can the minister please explain how this regressive tax creates economic hardship for all Ontarians that's a great question and for Glyde the member for Oakley and parliamentary system thank you speaker and thank you to the member for that great question our government knows that Ontarians are worried about making ends meet during these difficult times we know that now is not the time for a punitive and costly tax that makes life more unaffordable for the people of Ontario and the people across this country for the carbon tax this tax is, as the member pointed out driving up inflation and making all areas of life more expensive it is making it more expensive to drive to the store to get food for your family and once you arrive speaker it's making the food at that store more expensive this is why our government continues to urge the federal government and do the right thing and eliminate this regressive carbon tax I wish the members opposite would join us in requesting the federal government to cancel this tax now here here thank you speaker and thank you from the member from Oakville the parliamentary assistant and the minister of finance for their dedicated work speaker the last thing the last thing that Ontarians need is another tax unfortunately the carbon tax is just that so it's another tax that essentially drives up the prices of everything and we know that the carbon tax is doing nothing more than making life more expensive for people in our province and across this country so we need all members of this legislature to fight for Ontario's interest and call on the federal government to treat Ontario with respect when it comes to providing an exemption for the carbon tax speaker can the parliamentary assistant please elaborate on how the federal government's carbon pricing policy negatively impacts all Ontarians great question thank you question from the member opposite and the member is correct in saying this is a serious issue affecting all Ontarians and Canadians and I agree as you mentioned as well about the Bank of Canada's not fully address the negative effects of this tax even the readjusted calculation by the Bank of Canada considered only the direct impact of the carbon tax on three specific products including heating oil and natural gas the federal government is failing to recognize that the rising cost of consumer goods will quickly become unsustainable our government opposed the carbon tax from the start and we will oppose this useless tax until it is finally removed there are two approaches to take in this particular issue speaker either you cut taxes like we've done with the gas tax or you increase taxes like the federal government has done we ask the members opposite thank you speaker thank you very much the next question member from London West my question is to the Premier under this government's watch we saw a public university go bankrupt and now we have a new report highlighting the widespread financial fragility of the sector the report has confirmed that this government provides the lowest per student funding in the country for our colleges and universities the rest of Canada Ontario's per student funding is just 44% for college students and 57% for university students speaker will this government commit today to bringing Ontario's per student funding in line with other Canadian provinces to reply to the minister of colleges and universities thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that question I am excited to say the blue ribbon panel report was released yesterday and I want to thank the members of the panel for their diligent work and also thank Dr. Alan Harrison for his leadership as we review the report and begin to develop and implement solutions for the future of the sector know that our top priority is and has always been students but we also know the value of an education in Ontario which is why when a student enrolls in any of our colleges and universities they know the education they will receive from the best in the world over the coming weeks we will be focused on addressing the financial sustainability institutional accountability and how we as a collective can support our students today and into the future my job is to ensure that post-secondary is sustainable for years to come so that young folks like this in the crowd today have post-secondary in the future I have a question under this government provincial grants now account for just 30% of university operating revenues which is failing students and putting the sector at serious risk the University of Waterloo will end this year with a $15 million operating budget deficit Queens University has announced a deficit of $63 million Wilford Laurier $11 million the University of Guelph has reported budget deficits for three consecutive years deficits mean program cuts and hiring freezes hurting students and undermining the quality of university education when will this government increase post-secondary operating funding to prevent more universities from falling into deficit or even bankruptcy stand the minister of colleges and universities thank you Mr. Speaker and the long term financial sustainability of our post-secondary institutions is a top priority moving forward but as I mentioned before the sustainability and viability of our sector is a shared responsibility I have been clear that institutions will also need to review their spending in operating practices for any increase in funding to be considered when our government invests over $5 billion annually of taxpayer dollars in operating funds for our colleges and universities we need to ensure that that money is being spent wisely that doesn't account for the billions in tuition including over a billion families spent on education every year so as we review the report we will be sure to review all recommendations holistically to ensure the path forward reflects the collective respectively thank you next question the member for canada carlton thank you speaker this government knows things that it won't tell the people of ontario they know that the vast majority of ontario households are better off with the carbon price not only will it help the government side will come to order so that I can hear the member who rightly and duly has the floor order we start the clock member for canada carlton this government knows that the vast majority of ontario households are actually better off with the price on carbon not only does it keep our world habitable with the climate I gather there's a difference of opinion in the house on the matter that's being raised but the member has every right to ask the question without being drowned out by the government side if it persists I'll start calling you out by name the member for kitchens will come to order the member for renfrew will come to order we start the clock member for canada carlton they know that the vast majority of households in ontario are better off with the price on carbon not only will it keep our order habitable but with the climate action rebate it actually means more money in their pockets this government knows that 270,000 households in ontario use heating oil and that they are eligible for the climate price exemption this government knows that the oil and gas industries make record profits last year 18 cents of additional profit on every liter of gas the carbon price was 2 cents this government knows that they have the power to do something rather than just point fingers we put an amendment to motion 70 forward to cut hsd and the government rejected it when were the premier tell the people of ontario the truth members will please take their seats i'm going to ask the member to withdraw the unparliamentary comment at the end of her question back to the member of canada carlton when i was out there door knocking and granted i congratulate you 1x600 votes in a by election and god bless her i didn't hear her ever say when she was door knocking the carbon tax is good but i will do you a favor i will call your writing right across the board and say you believe in the carbon tax you believe in the 15 cents additional on a liter of gas you believe that the clothes that these students are wearing have gone up because of the carbon tax the food the reading is because of the carbon tax everything that moves is based on the carbon tax it is killing this country is killing this province is making it unaffordable and that's the reason why every single premier 2 weeks ago agreed to kill the carbon tax first of all i'll remind the members to make their comments through the chair independent members not to shout down the minister who's trying to answer the question that's been posed order restart the clock the supplementary question speaker we put forward an amendment to motion 70 not HST on home heating and the government rejected it they will take endless hours to point fingers at other levels of government when they actually have tools to help the people of ontario today we know why won't this government do what is within their power to actually improve affordability for the people of ontario to reply minister of energy it's unbelievable what we're hearing this morning from the liberal party of ontario the liberal party of ontario at every opportunity has voted in support of a carbon tax provincial carbon tax and a federal carbon tax that the parliamentary budget officer has said is costing families in ontario and canada more the bank of canada it's unbelievable it's a comedy show from the liberals especially the front bench it's like the muppet show it's saddler and waldorf over here it is unbelievable that they are trying to fool the people of ontario into believing that they want to see the carbon tax reduced when at every opportunity they voted for it to go higher it's on its way from 14 cents a liter on gasoline to almost 38 cents a liter on gasoline by the end of the month it's costing every ontarian more now than before and it's only the member for chat and kent leemington thank you speaker my question is to the minister of energy in northern ontario temperatures dropped to negative 30 in the wintertime i know i've worked in some of our most northern most communities unfortunately many people in our rural northern communities are limited in their options when it comes to home heating it's unfair that this regressive carbon tax should punish them for the fuel they need to survive sadly because of the actions taken by the federal liberal government we've seen how this carbon tax is creating two classes of canadiens those who pay the carbon tax and those who don't have to can the minister please explain the impact of the carbon tax on the people of our rural northern remote communities there is a common sense member right there from down in southwestern ontario asking a question because he understands how much the carbon tax is hurting people across ontario where the ontario liberal member moments ago just said to this house that the carbon tax is good for the people of ontario it's good for the people of ontario and they're making money because of the carbon tax it's absolutely ludicrous we all know that the carbon tax is hurting the people of canada and that's why the federal government that's why the federal government has adjusted their position on the carbon tax talk to any farmer in this province, talk to the people in northern ontario if these shrinking liberals over here and they're down to what nine now if they keep up this kind of talk they're not going to have party status in the legislature they're not even going to have a party it's time for liberals across the country to wake up members to come to order supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you the minister for your work and for that answer over the last few weeks it's been very disappointing to see that even as we fight to make life more affordable the independent liberals and opposition NDP still support the carbon tax while the opposition members have no problem supporting this harmful tax the additional financial burden in places where our farmers is unacceptable the reality is the federal carbon tax is producing disastrous results that are hurting our farmers and our consumers across the province unfortunately our provinces farmers are encountering soaring energy costs because of this very regressive and harmful tax speaker can the minister please elaborate on the effects of the carbon tax it has on our agricultural sector minister vanerjee Mr. Speaker again thank you to the member from down in southwestern Ontario for the work that he's doing to ensure the life is more affordable for the people of Ontario the same cannot be said about the Ontario liberal caucus and the federal liberal caucus that's why we're urging the federal liberals to do what they did in Atlantic Canada and remove the carbon tax from home heating for residents of Ontario and residents right across the country the specific question was about farming and the effect on agriculture Mr. Speaker obviously the price of carbon is increasing the cost of diesel for the tractors it's increasing the cost of gasoline for the trucks that take the products to the grocery stores and the processing facilities Mr. Speaker it's increased the cost for the grain drier Mr. Speaker and the propane and gas that's used in that process Mr. Speaker it's driving up the cost of everything but these Ontario the minister will take his seat the member for Ottawa's south will come to order the next question the member for Waterloo thank you very much Speaker my question to the minister of health in my writing of Waterloo a 66 year old constituent received the letter that it was time for her mammogram appointment by December 15th through the Ontario breast screening program she called Freeport Hospital they could only offer her an appointment on June 7th six months later a six month delay to access screening that this government has acknowledged in its own fall economic statement can save lives can mean less invasive treatment and better outcomes the receptionist suggested that she called Cambridge and perhaps they could get her in she's shopping around for a mammogram in Kitchener Waterloo unfortunately Cambridge told her that they actually can't make these kind of appointments for people who are already receiving mammograms at a different location even if it's six months late so my question is to the minister of health can you please explain why Kitchener Waterloo residents are not able to access breast cancer prevention care in their own community the member for Eglinton Lawrence and Parliamentary Assistant Minister of Health thank you very much Mr Speaker and thank you the member opposite for the question I don't know the particulars of this particular case I'm very happy to meet with the member afterwards and discuss the issue and see if there's something that can be done to make sure that this patient gets breast cancer screening in a timely way and in a convenient place I have no information about exactly why she couldn't get it in her community but as you know we recently announced an expansion of breast cancer screening for self-referral for women 40 to 50 years of age which is a huge advancement in breast cancer screening and we want to make sure that women are screened appropriately and get treatment when they need it supplementary member for Waterloo again staying answer because you need to resource these programs because the announcements actually don't do the work it's the people in the system that do the work women age 40 to 50 were always able to get mammograms with a referral the real problem is that the existing sites are already booked months in advance you can resource and address this delay but so far you've refused to do so this government stresses the importance of early detection and prevention while at the same time making no efforts to reduce our existing healthcare backlog 11,000 we learned actually 11,000 Ontarians have died while waiting for surgeries MRIs and CT scans in the past year that is your record this government is only growing that number forcing women to wait for life saving mammograms Speaker to the Minister of Health to the parliamentary assistant how will this government address the six month wait list for mammograms that women are being forced to accept because people will pay with their lives if they don't get those services Member for Eglinton Lawrence Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member opposite the member opposite should know that the Ontario breast cancer screening programs screen at the age of 40 and I think that was a huge and important and it's offered at 240 sites across the province and this government doesn't make announcements without resourcing them so we're going to make sure that people have the screens that they need that is what our announcement was about we're going to make sure that people get screening when and where they need it and that they can self refer when they are worried about the age of 40 and I think that was a huge and important announcement welcomed by the community and we're going to make sure that we protect women's health in Ontario not to choke down on the member who's responding to the question the next question the member for Essence Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the associate minister of transportation since the implementation of the federal people of Ontario have been paying more every single day for food, for services and for transportation they've even been forced to pay for more for the fuel in their cars the federal carbon tax makes life more expensive for millions of people in Ontario business owners in my riding of Essence have told me that liberal politicians and NDP politicians who support the carbon tax are out of touch with reality it's making it more costly to do business and businesses have to pay transfer that cost on to their customers Speaker can the associate minister of transportation please explain the negative impact that the federal carbon tax is having on people in Ontario Associate minister of transportation Thank you Speaker and thanks to the member from Essence for his outstanding work I can see Mr. Speaker we have been saying it from day one the federal carbon tax is hurting Ontario's economy it's only making it harder for businesses to keep their costs down and makes life more expensive for families Mr. Speaker we won the government years ago we knew add a tax to farmers growing their food growing our food or to truckers who deliver our food it's no surprise the groceries will go up Mr. Speaker while Canadian families and business struggle with the rising cost of just inflation now it's not the time for another increase of the carbon tax Mr. Speaker I urge the federal government do the right thing support Ontario's families and businesses and scrap your carbon tax Thank you Mr. Speaker Supplementary question I thank the minister for that response Mr. Speaker every day hardworking people in the trucking industry deliver the goods that we rely on whether it's keeping our hospitals equipped with supplies that are needed and keeping the shelves stocked in our grocery stores our truckers are essential high gas prices caused by the federal carbon tax are making it harder for truckers to do their job the federal government has increased the carbon tax on gasoline so far five times and they're planning on doing it seven more times in the next seven years this is wrong and it's unfair and it's going to hurt hardworking families across Ontario and in Essex County Speaker can the associate minister of transportation please explain the impact that the federal carbon tax is having on Ontario's trucking industry the associate minister of transportation Mr. Speaker the member from Essex is exactly correct the carbon tax makes it harder for our truckers to deliver the goods we need and don't just take my word for it Mr. Speaker according to the Ontario Trucking Association on average the carbon tax raises the cost of deliveries by approximately six percentage Mr. Speaker this is hurting small mid-size and large fleets a small business owner with the five trucks is seeing between 75,000 to 100,000 in an extra cost associated with the carbon tax Mr. Speaker the prime minister said the purpose of carbon tax was to shift Canadians to other options Mr. Speaker when it comes to trucking there is no other options the carbon tax doesn't reduce carbon emissions Mr. Speaker it only makes a cost of transporting goods transporting our food more expensive Mr. Speaker thank you the next question the member for Parkdale High Park thank you Mr. Speaker due to a shortage of early childhood educators the High Park YMC in my riding is being forced to suspend its infant care program starting January this has left many families scrambling for alternatives on very short notice the staffing crisis in the child care sector driven by low wages is a problem this government has been warned about for years now we're seeing exactly what we feared what happened desperately needed affordable child care spaces closing Speaker families in High Park want to know what actions will the minister take to ensure that the infant program at High Park YMCA can continue Minister of Education thank you Mr. Speaker for the question I think we both share an interest in expanding affordable child care in the province and we also both know that after 15 years of Liberals where child care rose by over 400% we left so many working parents behind and I'm proud under our Premier's leadership we have cut child care fees by 50% for families in High Park and right across Ontario with a commitment to build 86,000 more spaces now today I'm going to be joining the Parliamentary Minister of Women and Economic Opportunities and others to announce another step forward to support the workforce to shore up the critical ECEs that make a difference in our schools and to further respect them by increasing support to retain and recruit more of them because we're going to need more workers as we create more spaces and as we continue to cut fees for the people of this province the supplementary question the member for London Fanshawe Speaker across the province we are hearing about the enrollment being limited because programs cannot retain qualified educators Ontario is one of only four provinces that still has not introduced a salary scale as part of the $10 day child care program without it we will be in the same child care crisis we've endured for years with more program closures and more families scrambling the minister talks about respecting child care workers but they want to know when will this government finally address the root of this crisis that implemented a salary scale that they've been asking for starting at $30 an hour for registered RCEs and $25 an hour for all other child care workers in the sector so you can actually fill the spaces that you're building with workers and respect them with the wages they deserve Mr Speaker when we talk about the concept of respect we have to remind ourselves that new democrats urge the government to sign a deal with the federal government that would have left 70,000 parents out of the deal because you didn't want to respect parents who had their kids in for-profit child care and we want to talk about respect this is a party that systematically voted against reductions in child care fees as we historically cut fees saving families $8 to $12,000 per year the government's opposite could point their fingers they should look in the mirror stand up for choice, stand up for the rights of parents to make the best decision for their kids and stand with Ontario as we deliver a better deal, billions of dollars more in funding and yes, more flexibility so that all parents can benefit from affordable child care in this problem that concludes our question period for this morning Mr Speaker standing order