 Next, we have oral questions. I recognize the Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. After the previous Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing resigned in the midst of a scandal, and of course this ongoing RCMP criminal investigation, there was a real opportunity for a new Minister to actually take the housing crisis seriously. But last week's bill was weak, it was unambitious, and it lacked the vision that we need to actually get housing built. Among other shortcomings, the bill doesn't legalize fourplexes. And as of right, which means they're going to remain illegal in many, many parts of this province. A single detached home is out of reach for about 80% of Ontarians, but a fourplex apartment could be an affordable option. So why is the Premier ruling this out? And to reply, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Well, Speaker, just the opposite. We're not ruling anything out. There is no law against that right now in the province of Ontario, Speaker, so we encourage municipalities to make the decisions that are in the best interest of their taxpayers, Speaker. At the same time, well over 7 million people in the province of Ontario already live in communities where, as of right for, is the law. What we are running into, though, Mr. Speaker, is that this is not something that is solving the crisis in any way, shape, or form. My understanding is that although it's legal in the city of Toronto, less than 70 of these units have been built. I know in other communities like Vaughn, Richmond Hill, zero have been built. We also know that as of right three has not been as successful as we had hoped it to be. Less than 20,000 units have been built on that program, Mr. Speaker. We are removing the obstacles so that we can get the as of right three right across the province of Ontario, and we will allow our Mr. Speaker to continue to make decisions on their behalf. Thank you. Supplementary question? Speaker, that sounds like a lot of excuses. I should not have to remind this Premier or this Minister that legalizing four-plexes was a top recommendation of the government's own Housing Affordability Task Force. There are a lot of folks right now that are disappointed that this government has not implemented this recommendation, including the Ontario Real Estate Association. But it's just another example of how this government refuses to treat the housing crisis with the urgency that it deserves. What's the government's solution, Speaker? Well, according to the Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, it's telling people to go to a for-profit homeless encampment instead. Can the Premier explain why his government continues to fight the legalization of four-plexes? Again, Speaker, I don't know how much more clear I can be to the Leader of the Opposition. There is no law that says you can't build a four-plex in the province of Ontario. So it is hard for me to legalize something that is currently not illegal in the province of Ontario. What we're focusing on, Mr. Speaker, is ensuring that there is infrastructure in the ground so that as opposed to building, let's say, 74-plexes in the City of Toronto, we can build 1.5 million homes across the province, Mr. Speaker. What the Leader of the Opposition fails to understand is that in order to build homes across the province of Ontario, our municipal partners need sewer and water capacity. And that is why the Minister of Infrastructure is bringing forward the largest infrastructure program for sewer and water and roads in the province's history. We're doing this in the absence of the federal government, Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue to do all that we can to put the infrastructure in the ground so that we can build not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of homes in every part of this province. Final supplementary. Speaker, $5 billion of federal money for housing is on the line because this Premier doesn't like a certain type of housing. Government's new housing bill does nothing to get housing built. It spends as much time reversing this government's mistakes as it does putting forward any real solutions. And believe me, what it does put forward is very piecemeal. In contrast, British Columbia's NDP government has moved swiftly and they are seeing results, Speaker. While housing starts are down here in Ontario, they're up 11% in British Columbia. There are new investments in non-market housing, new protections for tenants. So why won't this Premier implement the NDP solutions that have been proven to work in British Columbia? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. We lived NDP solutions in the province of Ontario from 1990 to 1995. And if it wasn't for that Premier sitting in the gallery today, we would still be suffering under the rules of the 1990... Stop the clock. Members will take their seats. Order. Order. Restart the clock. The minister still has some time. Under the policies of this government, under the policies that were brought forward by the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, you know what we have? The highest starts in purpose-built rental housing, not over the last couple of years, but ever, Mr. Speaker. Under the policies of this government, we have the highest number of new home starts in decades. Under this government, Mr. Speaker, we're removing red tape so homes can get built faster, Mr. Speaker. We're building more university campuses by making it as a bright source. Students can have homes in the face of unilateral federal cuts. And Mr. Speaker, we're listening to our municipal partners because the Minister of Infrastructure is bringing forward the largest unilateral infrastructure sewer and water program in history, and the Minister of Education is building schools and all of these new communities, roads. Everything, Mr. Speaker, we're getting it back. Thank you very much. Thank you. The next question. Back to the Leader of the Opposition. I will remind the Minister that it was in 1995 that this province stopped building truly affordable housing in this province and units right now because of that decision. Last week, the Premier doubled down on preventing new homes from having EV charging infrastructure. Now the government knows the cost of installing an EV charger during construction is so much cheaper than putting one in later. Drivers say the lack of charging infrastructure is a huge barrier for those who would otherwise own an electric vehicle. So why has this Premier refused to make it easier for people to buy and charge an electric vehicle in their home? Mr. Secretary, we have done no such thing. In fact, we're making massive investments so that people have jobs and can buy electric vehicles. See, what the opposition would rather do is they'd rather keep people unemployed and then subsidize them to buy vehicles. Mr. Speaker, what we'd want is to give people the ability to work in the province of Ontario. $28 billion worth of investments. But as I said last Thursday, Mr. Speaker, as I said last Thursday, it is not up to the government of Ontario to fund a decision that you make, Mr. Speaker. She talks about British Columbia, the highest price for gas in British Columbia, the highest expenses, the place that is most expensive to live in the country, British Columbia, Mr. Speaker. We are bringing jobs back, opportunity back. That is the record of this government. 700,000 jobs, cutting taxes, cutting red tape, bringing back employment to the province of Ontario in the same way that the 22nd Premier of the province of Ontario did, each and every day focused on the people of the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, I'll go back to the Premier. I don't think the minister has been following what's happening in the sector, but EV sales are down here in the province of Ontario, and the Premier isn't doing anything about it. Not only is he jeopardizing the so-called province's making Ontario electric vehicle program, he's risking the tens of thousands of good jobs that go with it, like the workers in Oakville. The workers in Oakville who feel let down by the Premier's lack of action or the delay of EV production by Ford Motor Company. So back to the Premier. Workers in Oakville are worried. Will you show some leadership, or will you leave them behind like you did with the GM workers in Oshawa? Minister of Economic Development. The previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, chased 300,000 manufacturing jobs out of our province and brought our auto sector to the brink of collapse. In 2019, Reuters reported that companies planned to spend $300 billion on EVs, and none of it was coming to Canada. Since then, over the last three years, Ontario has attracted $28 billion in new EV investments, creating thousands of good-paying jobs across the province. Unfortunately, the NDP and the Liberals voted against every single item that brought this unprecedented success to Ontario. By creating the conditions for businesses to succeed, our province is now a global auto manufacturing powerhouse, Speaker. Stop the clock. Member for Ottawa South will come to order. The Member for Brampton North will come to order. Minister of Education will come to order. I heard you. Start the clock, final supplementary. Speaker, Ontario has the workers. We have the expertise and we have the energy to power a strong EV sector here. It used to be a signature policy of this government, but now they're throwing it in reverse, with a weak commitment to electrical vehicles and sustainable infrastructure. In the process, this Premier is jeopardizing sales and production by not making our new homes EV ready. This is so short-sighted. The people of Ontario want to know, and I'll go back to the Premier again, is the government backing away from plans for a sustainable auto sector in Ontario? Please take your seats and to reply the Minister of Energy. Speaker, it's quite clear that our plan is working. 300,000 manufacturing jobs left our province for other jurisdictions. At a time when those who were running the auto plants were saying that Ontario is the most uncompetitive jurisdiction in North America to build cars. To now six years later, investing $28 billion into EV platforms, EV battery manufacturing facilities, and the world is moving to EVs in Ontario because we have the energy, and we're committed to building the energy infrastructure to support the implementation of electric vehicles. Now, the NDP energy critic is against all of the investments that we're making in our nuclear sector, including building small modular reactors at Darlington, leading the world on that front, putting an extra 4.8 gigawatts at Bruce Power, refurbishing the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. That's how we're going to power Ontario well into the future for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. This government has boasted about their electric vehicle investment, but like so much they do, they aren't plugged into what is really needed. Folks are excited about electric vehicles, but they won't buy them if they know they can't charge them. When this Premier was elected in 2018, one of his first moves was to rip out EV charging stations, cancel EV rebates, and end the building code requirement to make sure homes were wired and ready. Without the infrastructure, automakers are signaling a slowdown on EV production. This Premier is putting good auto jobs at risk. When will this Premier switch gears and support the future of electric vehicles by committing to the charging infrastructure that they will require? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Let's wrap it up and see what we've done. The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade has encouraged $28 billion worth of EV manufacturing to the province of Ontario. The Minister of Mines and Northern Development is unlocking the resources of the north so that we can power the investments in the south. The Minister of Energy is investing in small modular reactors, so the opposition knows these are the reactors that will power the EV revolution of tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, while refurbishing our nuclear fleet, and later today we will be voting on an NDP bill that will kill what the Minister of Energy is doing, put in jeopardy what the Minister of Natural Resources is doing, and put in jeopardy the $28 billion worth of investments. So this is what I tell you. We will vote against that, Mr. Speaker. We continue our program of investing in the people of the province of Ontario so that they have the resources to invest in themselves. They have the resources to invest in their communities. It's about giving people the tools they need to succeed. Thank you and again my question is for the Premier. The future is electric, on the road, across communities, and at home. Building EV-ready homes is future-proof, but that's not what we're building today. Aftermarket charging infrastructure is expensive, and when compared to the minimal cost of wires and the rough-in in a new build, planning ahead is the way to go. EV-ready homes are more affordable for homeowners and drivers. This Premier has said he's picking the side of developers, but we hope he will switch to be on the side of auto manufacturers, auto workers, drivers, and homeowners. Building houses already roughed in for charging is an easy and practical fix that we could do today to save people a lot of money. So my question is, will the Premier put charging rough-ins back in the building code so we can have EV-ready homes? Mr. Nussbaum, Affairs and Housing. No, Mr. Speaker. What we will do is we will allow homeowners to make those decisions on their own, Mr. Speaker, because that is what we do. We allow homeowners to make that decision on their own. As I said on Thursday, I come from an Italian family. Many of my relatives, even ourselves, we had a stove in the garage. It was a 220-volt stove because a lot of us like to cook in the garage. I didn't ask the people of the province of Ontario to cover the cost of that stove in the garage. You know what my dad did? He called an electrician who put the stove plug in the garage and he paid for it, Mr. Speaker. I think the people of the province of Ontario can make that decision on their own. They don't need big daddy government coming on their behalf. My goal is to keep the price of home-building low so that more Ontarians can afford to build it, not higher. Oshawa will come to order. The member for Renfrew Nipissing-Pembroke will come to order. The Minister of Energy will come to order. Order. The next question, the member for Chatham Kent-Leamington. Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Energy. On April 1st, the Federal Liberals, supported by the Queen of the Carbon Tax, Bonnie Cromby, increased the carbon tax by 23%. This costly tax is raising the price of everything, from both energy costs to food prices. It's forcing Ontario drivers to pay over $0.17 per liter more at the gas pumps. Speaker, it's so disappointing to see the Liberal and NDP members of this legislature turning a blind eye to the hardships people everywhere are experiencing. They should be joining us and calling on the Federal Government to scrap the carbon tax now. Speaker, can the Minister please explain why the carbon tax is causing damage to all aspects of life for the people of Ontario? To reply, the Minister of Energy. Thanks very much. Thanks to the great member from Southwestern Ontario, who's always standing up for residents in his part of Ontario and ensuring that they can afford to live in our province as we continue to reduce taxes and reduce fees and reduce the cost of living the Federal Government continues to jack it up. On April 1st, just a couple of weeks ago, the Federal Government did it again. A whopping increase of 23% to the Federal Carbon Tax, which is impacting the price at the pumps. It's impacting the price of home heating for natural gas furnaces. It's introducing the price of the grocery store, Mr Speaker. It's impacting the cost of living in Ontario. And last week we saw something interesting at the Federal Parliament. We actually saw the Federal NDP with Jugmeat and we saw the Party Québécois, or actually the separatist party supporting a conservative motion to encourage the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Trudeau, who increased the carbon tax to meet with premiers right across the country. All of them are opposed to the carbon tax, Mr Speaker. We have that discussion and also scrap the tax. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that response. It's reassuring to hear that our Government continues to stand up to the Federal Government and fight for the people of this province. Speaker, people in my riding of Chatham-Kent Leamington are concerned about the impact of a whopping 23% carbon tax hike will have on their home energy bills. They feel it's unfair to them and communities across Ontario that the Federal Liberals have burdened us with this unnecessary cost. Our Government will not give up, Speaker. We'll continue to fight this tax, deliver affordability for Ontario, and put more money back in people's pockets. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the carbon tax is punishing people in Chatham-Kent Leamington and throughout Ontario who rely on natural gas to keep their homes Minister of Energy. Speaker, it's pretty simple. The Federal Carbon Tax is right there on the bill clearly marked for anybody who's an Enbridge customer or has natural gas coming into their home. It's the Federal Carbon Tax right there on the bill that sometimes actually is more expensive than delivery costs. The people of Ontario are feeling the pinch, but it's not just the people of Ontario. It's the people across the country that are getting hammered by this Federal Carbon Tax. Just look at Newfoundland where the Liberal Premier Andrew Fury has actually pleaded with Prime Minister Trudeau to put the pause on back on April 1st but since he hasn't done that he's now joined the chorus of premiers of all stripes from right across the country to sit down and have an adult discussion something the Prime Minister hasn't done and we believe that Prime Minister should be sitting down with those premiers and I just wish that the Queen of the Carbon Tax here in Ontario, the Liberal leader would support us in sitting down and having that mature discussion about axing the tax in Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Minister of Housing. A new report shows Ontario rents have risen three times higher than guidelines due to rent control loopholes with an average increase of 54.5% over the last decade. Thousands of tenants in Parkdale High Park and across Ontario are experiencing massive increase to cost of housing and there is no end in sight. My question is, will you close rent control loopholes so Ontarians can find and maintain housing? The Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very proud of the number of purpose-built rentals that we have increased. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing mentioned not too long ago, just moments ago, Mr. Speaker, we have historic records of rental, of purpose-built buildings, Mr. Speaker, and that is something that is important to the people of the province of Ontario who need a place to live. We are working nonstop at achieving our goal of 1.5 million housing units, Mr. Speaker and we will get there. Thank you for your help with the opposition, Mr. Speaker, who would vote against every single initiative that we do when we achieve these records. Mr. Speaker, I'll have more to say in the supplementary. Supplementary, the Member for Toronto's Senate. Thank you, Speaker and back to the Premier. Today my constituent Lindsay is receiving an N13. This is a demiviction notice. She tells me, and I quote, as a tenant who is now dealing with finding a home on top of dealing with the immediate aftermath of a complete loss. All of the homes being built are not made for people like me and my two young children. I started looking for housing options so that I can continue to live and work in Toronto once demivicted. But there is nowhere safe that I can afford to raise my family. Speaker, there is no affordable rental housing in Ontario because of the rent-controlled loopholes that have been introduced by the Conservative Government. Will this Government admit that they have the power to help Lindsay and her two young children and by introducing real rent control today? And this will take their seats. Journey General. Thank you, Mr Speaker. And the reason that we have a housing challenge isn't because of a particular policy that we put in place, Mr Speaker. It's because the Liberals during their entire mandate supported by the NDP at every turn did absolutely nothing except create red tape create barriers get nothing built absolutely nothing. Now when this Government came to power, Mr Speaker we recognized the crisis for what it is and we made a public commitment the Premier made a commitment the Minister of the Affairs and Housing Minister made a commitment. We will build 1.5 million spaces, Mr Speaker and we'll do it notwithstanding that we're starting from behind we're starting from behind because investments were made money was put forward the red tape was building up, Mr Speaker but we will persevere we will get the job done we are getting the job done, Mr Speaker and we will not apologize for that. Next question, the member for Brantford Grant. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Minister. The Federal Liberals think that they know better than they think this province. When people are hurting because of the rising cost of living it seems logical that governments of all political stripes would do their part to reduce costs but instead the Liberals are doing the opposite they are hiking taxes at a time when families are already struggling to get by families are having trouble heating their homes, filling their gas tanks and putting food on the table and the Liberal solution is to make things better. The worst part is Bonnie Cromby and her Liberal colleagues don't even have the guts to stand up and tell the Prime Minister to get rid of this terrible tax Speaker can the Minister please explain what risks the federal carbon tax pose to our economy Thank you. To reply the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Thank you Speaker the Federal Liberals and the previous provincial Liberals did to the province of Ontario they are raising taxes at every opportunity they chased businesses and jobs out of the province our manufacturing sector was on the brink of collapse with 300,000 manufacturing jobs lost now we came in and lowered costs right across the board we restored Ontario's ability to compete at a global stage 700,000 more men and women are working today than before we took office our message to the federal government is clear do not jeopardize the progress that we have made scrap the tax today Supplementary That's the member for Thank you Speaker and thank you Minister for that response Speaker we've heard loud and clear from the people of Ontario the last thing they want is a carbon tax but the Federal Liberals are actively ignoring the concerns of hard working Ontario families just as the previous Liberal provincial government did we don't believe the way to fight climate change is by crushing businesses and workers with tax hikes and neither do the people of Ontario we have an abundance of clean energy right here in our province and we're making sure Ontario has a clean leader in building clean tech for the future like electric vehicles that's how to help lower emissions not by implementing a carbon tax that drives the cost of everything up and up and up Speaker can the Minister explain how the carbon tax will hurt the progress that we've made and reducing costs so that businesses and workers can succeed Thank you Minister of economic development, job creation and trade Speaker the previous Liberal government has made high taxes chased businesses and workers out of the province but when we took office we reversed course we cut 500 pieces of red tape saving businesses $1 billion annually we put an immediate equipment right off in saving businesses nearly a billion dollars every single year we lowered WSIB premiums by 50% saving businesses $2.5 billion annually and as a result those businesses who fled the province under the Liberals they're coming back we have reshored companies who left for cheaper more competing jurisdictions and we've rebuilt our province's manufacturing might with 700,000 new people working again we can't allow the Liberals to crush our momentum scrap the tax today Thank you My question is to the Premier the owner of property in Innisfil has been charging people facing housing insecurity $500 to set up a tent on their property the ad for the property notes that they will have access to a communal washroom and kitchen shockingly instead of working to resolve this province's homelessness crisis the member for Innisfil has started referring people to this for profit and for employment my question to the Premier is this is he going to start counting tents as part of their affordable housing numbers housing it really highlights just how irrelevant the NDP have come in pretty much every single policy issue facing the province of Ontario the reality is this we have increased funding to the homeless prevention program to record levels the member will know this because she voted against that we have actually increased homeless prevention funding in every part of the province including in the member's own writing by 34% she will recall that she voted against that as well what we are doing across the province of Ontario restoring, rehabilitating and renovating our affordable housing stock you know why because we were left with an infrastructure deficit by the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP what have we done we have found in 23,000 affordable housing units in the province of Ontario that is an unmatched record in the history of this province we will continue to support those who want help as the minister of children community services said we will leave no one behind that is our goal each and every day supplementary thank you speaker it is clear to the minister that you are going to help people not help by referring them to for-profit encampments that is what your government is doing unfortunately this is shocking but not surprising this for-profit encampment is targeted toward people who are on OW or ODSP because the programs don't even cover the cost of rent this conservative government has fueled a housing and affordability crisis and now they seem to be endorsing its exploitation speaker will the premier tell Ontarians whether for-profit encampments are part of his affordable housing strategy Minister Mr. Ferris in housing again speaker a truly a question from the NDP that really just highlights how just irrelevant they are in the discourse in the province of Ontario speaker it is no wonder nobody pays attention to them no wonder that members leave their caucus and droves Mr. Speaker here's what we're doing we're putting infrastructure in the ground you know why we're putting infrastructure in the ground college so that we can build millions of homes across the province of Ontario you know why we have to do this work speaker because for 15 long long arduous years the former liberal government did absolutely nothing and you know who supported them in that the NDP the most irrelevant party that this province has ever seen now to go a step further there is irrelevant in Ottawa as they are in Queens Park ignoring what the people of the province need ignoring what the people of Canada need you have an opportunity later today vote for our budget because it has historic levels of question the member for Don Valley East thank you Mr. Speaker I never thought I'd see the day when having a family doctor in Ontario made you lucky when people paid hundreds if not thousands of dollars just to access primary care when riding the subway meant being bombarded with advertisements for healthcare services that should be insured but aren't looking back at the last six years a lot has changed now we have nurse practitioner led clinics charging subscription fees to desperate patients while executive health clinics make a fortune in a primary care marketplace of this government's making by 2026 4.4 million people won't have access to a family doctor and we can't even say that our emergency departments are always open anymore Mr. Speaker with so little to show under his watch why is it that the premier only increased healthcare funding by 0.59% but has more than doubled the amount that he pays the staff in his own office the deputy premier minister of health oh speaker it continues to amaze me that members of the liberal party who actually cut the number of residency spots available for Ontario students wishing to practice and learn medicine in the province of Ontario can stand up and talk about our record our record clearly shows that we are investing in a healthcare system whether that is including a base increasing new medical schools in York region in Brampton in Scarborough ensuring that we have new clinicians able to train practice learn and ultimately be licensed in the province of Ontario we are making those investments because we know that people need to have access to primary care practitioners you know I look at the announcement that we made in February the expansion of primary care including nurse practitioner led clinics in his own community and across Ontario and I see those investments already bearing fruit because we already have additional clinicians hired taking on new patients thank you the supplementary question Mr. Speaker it's unfortunate to hear the minister of health talk about her record because she admits omits the fact that is of the worst healthcare system performance in our province's history this government is so busy rewarding its friends and enriching insiders that they have forgotten their duty to uphold the Canada health act but perhaps forgetting is too generous because every time the government neglects another feature public healthcare to its knees there's always a private for profit model there to save the day whether it is exorbitant prescription fees to nurse practitioners or executive health clinics whether it's pricey pap smears or costly cataract lenses whether it's staffing agencies gouging our hospitals and long-term care homes this government rolls out the red carpet for anyone praying to the almighty dollar Mr. Speaker what should patients who can't afford this premier's private healthcare agenda do once his gravy train has left our public healthcare system and the Minister of Health Thank you Mr. Speaker the Liberal member opposite can throw around all the quips he wants the truth is that we are making investments in our publicly funded healthcare system in Ontario Canada in the lowest wait times for surgeries across Canada Ontario leads Canada in the number of individuals who are matched with a primary care practitioner we will continue to make those investments because we see how they are changing lives in the province of Ontario in Minto, Ontario a February announcement led to a nurse practitioner being hired and already taking on new practitioners new patients Kingston, Ontario we have clinicians who are bringing on new patients rostering new patients in their communities that will continue across 78 new facilities and expanded practitioner led clinics because we know it's making an impact and we know we are changing lives Thank you The next question is for Thorn Hill Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Energy the Liberal carbon tax is punishing Ontario families last year the federal government decided to exempt one form of home heating fuel mainly used in Atlantic Canada but they are hiking the carbon tax on lower emission natural gas here in Ontario where the majority of residents now have to pay more to heat their homes that's just not right residents in my riding of Thorn Hill tell me they already feel the impact of the carbon tax on their energy bills Speaker can the people of Ontario they deserve to be treated fairly the federal Liberals need to get rid of this carbon tax now Speaker can the Minister please explain how they are making home heating and more things expensive and impacting Ontarians To apply the Minister of Energy We are doing our best to make life more affordable for the people of Ontario here under the leadership of Premier Ford while Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal Liberals seem content to make life more expensive for the people of Ontario and the people of Canada and that goes for the Queen of the Carbon Tax Bonnie Cromby as well who seems happy to have the federal carbon tax in place so that she doesn't have to take a position on it we have taken a position on it we are making life more affordable and that's why we are seeing new investments in our province particularly in the EV and EV auto space companies are flocking back to Ontario and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in our province again we are under the leadership of the previous Liberal government for 15 years we saw 300,000 jobs leaving for other jurisdictions over 700,000 jobs are coming back Mr Speaker and that's all because of our sound energy policy that ensures we are competitive with other jurists Thank you Supplementary question thank you to the minister for his solid work within his portfolio this is exactly what our government spoke up about the carbon tax what we fought tooth and nail it's ludicrous that the Liberals think it's a good idea to raise the carbon tax by a staggering 23% when Ontario families are already struggling with the increased cost of living but Speaker this is most concerning this gets so much worse the federal government and opposition parties want to nearly triple the tax by 2030 that's simply not acceptable Speaker can the minister please explain why Ontarians cannot afford the continued tax increase on groceries transportation and everything else in between Minister of Energy Speaker thanks again to the member from Thornhill for the question it's pretty obvious when you drive by a gasoline station now and you see the price of the pumps is over $1.60 in parts of northern Ontario more than that the carbon tax has gone up a staggering 23% two weeks ago on April the 1st under the leadership of Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal Liberal government supported by the Queen of the Carbon Tax Bonnie Cromby and her Ontario Liberals who still continue to say that the people of Ontario and the people of Canada are better off with this horrible carbon tax than they would be without it Mr Speaker while some of them have supported us in the House Jagmeet on the weekend was trying to walk back his demands to have a carbon tax or not he's supportive of the carbon tax again but that's typical of NDP policy Mr Speaker they don't know which way to go we're with the people of Ontario the opposition parties are against them particularly on energy the next question the member from Niagara Falls to the Premier we learned a lot about the impact of Bill 7 hundreds of families forced from their communities cancer survivors find $400 a day unless they follow the Premier's orders to leave their families we didn't learn a Bill 7 impacts because of the transparency of this government we learned it from the hard work of the reporters now the government is refusing to tell the public how much they're finding seniors will the minister stand up today and tell the public how much money they have find seniors for the crime of wanting to stay close to their families Minister of Health what Bill 7 has allowed hospitals to do is to actually ensure that they have beds available for people who need them in an acute way the treatments the ongoing rehabilitation of patients outside of a hospital setting is made available because of the ability for hospitals to ensure that alternative level of care patients are being looked after in different places whether it is in community whether it is in our long-term care homes and I'm proud of the fact that we've had over 2,000 individuals have a home in their community because we've taken the time with our hospital partners to make sure that they have the appropriate care in the appropriate place a home speaker back to the premier as expected there's no transparent answer from the minister whatever one decides to answer look at the action of this government first they say they're not aware of anyone being fined under Bill 7 then when shown the actual bills said to the patients they complain until seven patients have been charged now after daily request the government refuses to tell the media how much they find seniors sounds like the conservatives are really proud of their legislation if the premier thinks Bill 7 is such great legislation helping seniors get into long-term care why won't you tell the public how much you're finding seniors and again the minister of health figures the member opposite just clearly showed it is such a small number of individuals who've been billed by the hospitals that we've actually been told we have a legal agreement that says putting out those numbers would put at risk individuals individual identity to be identified we're protecting patients to ensure that that doesn't happen and we have we have ensured that such a small number have been had to be billed by their local hospitals that we want to make sure that the work is at the hospital and the community working with the most appropriate placement and we will continue to do that member for Ottawa South will come to order member for Entronypsing Pembroke will come to order member for Niagara Falls will come to order member for Ottawa center will come to order start the clock the next question member for Guelph my question is for the premier the housing crisis is getting worse it's like a forest fighter raging out of control but the government's new housing bill is like bringing a garden hose to put out the fire after wasting six years putting wealthy well connected insiders ahead of building homes that people can actually afford it feels like the government is emitting defeat begging municipalities to bail them out when the premier says no to building homes that people can afford in the communities they know and love so speaker will the premier stop saying no to an entire generation of young people who just want a home they can afford and say yes to legalizing gentle density and mid-rides housing across the province as of right so we can start building homes people can afford now I love the passion from the member but when it comes to building his own community an as of right for community some total of zero have been built you know why that is because the city of Guelph needs infrastructure they need sewer and water capacity I hear it from the mayor constantly I had a wonderful conversation with the mayor when we were providing a building faster fund check who identified the fact that his additional assistance to the building faster fund would go to building more sewer and water capacity so that he could build even more homes Mr. Speaker so the opposition can focus on policies that do nothing because it makes them feel better we saw that from the liberals for 15 years right announced all kinds of things but don't accomplish anything that's all that they care about we'll build the sewer and water capacity so that we can build not hundreds not tens not 74 flexes in Toronto zero in Guelph but millions of homes in every part of this province Mr. Speaker because that's how we will tackle the affordability crisis the supplementary question Speaker this government has been in power for six years and the housing crisis gets worse they've spent more time in the last year reversing their housing policies than actually putting forward bold solutions to the housing crisis as a matter of fact it was this government that took infrastructure money away from municipalities in the first place the government's failure to fix the housing crisis is making life in Ontario unaffordable and the premier says no to general density no to mid-rises, no to missing middle no to rent protection no to federal funding for homes it's time to say yes to housing in this province the government has the power to say yes to six to eleven storey buildings along major transit corridors to say yes to multi flexes we can get building homes in this province in fact in the provincial policy statement which was released at the same time it does just that but you can't do any of that unless you have infrastructure that allows that to happen it allows it to happen this is the fallacy of what you hear from the Greens the Liberals and the NDP they get up in their place and they fight for policies that they know won't build homes Mr. Speaker what we're doing is putting in the infrastructure that is needed to build a home but you know what else we're hearing Mr. Speaker we're hearing that the high inflation policies of the federal government the federal liberal government a carbon tax which has led to high interest rates are stopping people from getting shovels in the ground and more importantly Speaker it is stopping from people from being able to afford those homes so why don't the members opposite work with us to get the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax reduced to cost Mr. Speaker bring down red tape bring down all cost bring down interest rates and we will meet our challenges next question order member for Ottawa South come to order next question the member for Essex thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the small business service delivery ministry since for a few years rather this sector has been able to secure funds but this promise was made five years ago we have a federal liberal government that admitted that they owe 1.3 billion dollars back to small businesses but no plan has been made the liberal federal government has 1.3 billion dollars that they should give back to small businesses does the associate minister can explain what are the impacts of this situation on small businesses thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to thank my colleague the member for Essex for mentioning this problem that so many small businesses in Ontario are facing since the beginning our government rather stated how much we support our small businesses by scrapping the carbon tax after five years the liberal government hasn't filed fields its promise to reimburse 1.3 billion dollars that were promised to small businesses in our province this is a money a sum of money that could have been invested in their businesses we have staff and communities that could benefit from these funds people were burdened by financial measures and we can see that everything is affected the cost of life is affected we are listening small businesses in Ontario and we will continue to ask the federal government to scrap this tax thank you speaker and thank you to the parliamentary associate for that answer the federal government has just abandoned Ontario small businesses when it comes to refunding the carbon tax speaker this is an issue that goes well beyond the simple question of refunds the Canadian federation of independent business has told us that more than half of businesses will be forced to increase their prices and that's the last thing and the last thing they need is another increase in this liberal tax speaker can the parliamentary associate tell us how our provincial government is supporting small businesses at a time when the federal liberal tax is threatening their very survival thank you to the wonderful member from Essex my colleague is quite right to talk about the devastating effects that the carbon tax has on Ontario small businesses and families the cost can the cost is making budget balancing the budget for businesses almost impossible whether it's a matter of the increased cost for producers for farmers or for more expensive transportation of goods across the province and country consequences are undeniable except for the federal liberal government and the provincial liberals who are just obsessed with wanting to increase taxes our government is on the side of businesses and is working hard to reduce their cost contrary to the head of the provincial liberals Bonnie Crombie who wants an even higher carbon tax he will continue to struggle thank you very much thank you speaker my question is for the minister of francophone affairs almost 500 letters for temporary permission to teach in french were issued last year the right to have to have an equivalent level of education has been violated for francophone students what are you planning to do to correct the state of affairs for french language students madam minister thank you to the member for the question he knows full well speaker that our government has been working hard on a strategy to hire and retrain french language teachers for example we have doubled the number of spaces for teachers at the university of the university of francophone since that time given the growing interest of parents in french language education for their children and for francophone students who have a constitutional right to this education since 2018 we have invested more than 240 million dollars speakers in french language school boards to build 18 new schools and to make institution enlarging and expanding six of these calls we have a lot more to do and that's why I'm working closely with the minister of education to ensure that ontarios francophones have access to teachers and schools in the french language well it's not working out very well for many french language school boards to the same minister almost half of french language citizens seek ask for services in english when they are looking for family doctor hoping to speed up the process madam minister why is there nothing in the budget to settle the problem of doctors offering their services in the french language in ontario thank you speaker our government was the first government in three decades to modernize the law on french services in ontario that's how much we realize how important is to expand service to french language services we've provided an all round strategy to hire and train french language skilled workers to provide french language services to francophones across ontaria including in the healthcare sector doctors, nurses we're working with the Montfort hospital and the University of Ottawa and colleges and universities across the province to ensure that we have enough healthcare workers in the french language we've also been working with the federal government to demand that they have a special category of french language immigrants for the healthcare sector we don't have any announcements to make right now but we've been working on this problem for many years thank you speaker member four Scarborough agent thank you speaker my question is for the minister of long term care the federal liberal government raised the carbon tax by 23% on april the first member four has warned since day one this tax is raising the cost of everything it increases building costs and makes it more expensive to construct long term care homes that's not fair speaker the liberals laid by queen of the carbon tax continue to remain silent on this topic unlike the liberals the government will continue to speak up continue to fight for our seniors and continue to deliver real affordability speaker can the minister tell the house what our government is doing to build more homes and support seniors in our problems thank you minister of long term care speaker this government has a plan and let's contrast that plan that the liberals are lack thereof had since 2003 21 years ago and they have that power until 2018 and in that time when they exited government 611 new beds to show for their efforts that's not enough for an Asian population this government knows that that's why since assuming office we introduced the largest capital expansion plan in this country's history to build and redevelop 58,000 spaces for our great seniors speaker up to date 18,000 spaces have been built or are under construction however we are facing challenges indeed speaker thanks to this carbon tax and the 23% increase on April 1st and the fact speaker that's why this budget introduces over $155 million to help our government continue to build Ontario's long term care sector an additional $200 million that homes response towards capital development now speaker 2 minutes and 25 seconds until we vote on that budget is it too late to do the right thing I hope the liberals vote in favor and the supplementary question thank you to the minister speaker my constituents will be pleased to hear how our government is building new long term care homes and the standing up for Ontario citizens speaker our seniors deserve to receive the care that they need and enjoy the high quality of life that they deserve in a long term care home but the carbon tax is increasing the price of everything from the cost of building material and transport to the day to day operations of the long term care homes our government will always support Ontario families and ensure seniors stay in the communities they help build close to their loved ones speaker can the minister please tell the house what our government is doing to protect Ontario's families especially our seniors from the negative impact of the carbon tax thank you minister of long term care government is doing a lot but you know what would help our efforts is if the liberals standing just sitting to the left of that fine member and all their buddies in Ottawa and tell them get rid of this tax I mean there's federal MPs doing the same for the liberal party why can't the MPPs in this legislature do the same to the members point 40.5% increase in construction costs in that member's riding that is a severe challenge to getting these spaces online and speaker we know that we need it I know that member's riding I visited that member's riding it is a diverse riding and what we all have in common is that somewhere in our lives we have a senior who built our lives as we know it who gave us the opportunities that we have in this great country of ours stand with us to the liberal party over there stand against the queen of the carbon tax and say to ask this tax let's get shovels in the ground let's take care of our seniors in this great country question to member for Kiwetnaugh the ministry transportation operates 27 airports and Nishnabewski Nation territory the first nations rely on these airports for critical goods and services speaker the waiting areas are substandard unsafe facilities for passengers and pilots alike the airports in Kiwetnaugh still need runway extensions and modern navigational aids to improve the flight access speaker when will the waiting areas and these airports be held up to standard and make sure that these runways are extended and when will these standards be expected to be brought up to standard just like any other airport in Ontario the minister of transportation thank you very much Mr. Speaker our teams have been working with many of the airports in those northern communities and I can assure the member that we'll continue to work with them as the province has provided a commitment to 100% of the remote funding on the operational side $14.5 million every single year but we'll continue to ensure those issues that have been raised by that member with respect to some of the flooding are taken care of and we work together to ensure that those have a piece of infrastructure in our north so I look forward to working with a member on that specifically thank you very much that concludes our question period for this morning