 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition. Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. In December, the Ontario Energy Board ruled that consumers should no longer have to subsidize Enbridge's gas expansion. But instead of listening to the experts, the government decided to keep forcing consumers to pay the subsidy. Yesterday, the Narwhal revealed that the Premier's top officials weren't just communicating with Enbridge on this, they were actively coordinating their responses together. Did the government give, and this is again to the Premier, did the government give preferential treatment to Enbridge when it intervened preemptively to undermine the regulator and drive up costs for consumers? And to reply, the Minister of Energy. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the member opposite for the question this morning. Since day one on receiving the OEB ruling that they would be, which I should point out, by the way, was a split decision, which is rare at the Ontario Energy Board, that this decision was going to make the price of home ownership sore. We have been ready and ensuring that we were going to protect future homeowners so that they could afford to buy homes in our province. But the other thing that we're very focused on here since I've become the Minister of Energy and prior to that, basically, since we became the government in 2018, was ensuring that we kept the price of energy low in our province. And as a result, we have seen the results. We have seen massive investment in our province. We are building over a million homes in our province, Mr. Speaker. What we're doing on the energy file is working, that our growing province is going to have the electricity and the energy that it needs, that we will have a reliable, affordable, and safe electricity system. And that's what we've been focused on at the Ministry of Energy since day one. And the proof is there, Mr. Speaker, billions of dollars of investment in our province. Mr. Speaker doesn't really understand what's going on here, but this is passing on an additional cost to consumers in this province, on their gas bills. On the morning of the OEB ruling, the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Energy reached out to the Premier's staff and called an urgent meeting to prepare a response in case the OEB ruled against Enbridge in favour of consumers. It just happens that the Minister's Chief of Staff is, guess what? A former lobbyist for Enbridge. So, my question to the Premier again is, was this Chief of Staff in a conflict of interest when he decided to put the interests of his former employer ahead of the interests of Ontario gas systems? Minister of Energy. Once again, the NDP have their facts wrong. But what I can assure the NDP is that our government and the Ministry of Energy is focused on ensuring that we have the energy we need for our growing province and that includes natural gas. Something that the members of the NDP are opposed to, Mr. Speaker. They say that natural gas is not healthy. They say that nuclear isn't healthy, Mr. Speaker. They would get rid of nuclear energy. They would get rid of gas, which is the insurance policy that keeps our lights on and keeps over 70% of our homes heated during the winter months, Mr. Speaker. We're ensuring that we have a reliable, affordable energy sector in Ontario, one that is going to support our growing economy, support our growing population in this province. The last time the Liberals and the NDP were in part of our energy sector, we saw electricity bills triple. We won't stand for that. We're going to make sure that home ownership is also affordable for new home buyers, Mr. Speaker. That's why we stepped in. Thank you. On the final supplementary, back to the Leader of the Opposition. I'm wondering right now who this government is working for. Is it Enbridge or is it Ontarians? Players warned the Premier's staff and the former Enbridge lobbyist, who's now, I will remind everybody, working as the Minister's Chief of Staff, that intervening in the OEB decision carried legal risks. They did it anyway. They announced a plan to overrule the OEB only 15 hours after the decision was published. I have never seen a government so determined to overrule an independent regulator and drive up gas bills for Ontarians. I have never seen it. Why is the government risking legal action in order to give preferential treatment to this gas monopoly over the interests of hardworking Ontarians? Minister of Energy. So I'll try and explain this to the member opposite because the member opposite, first of all, it's unbelievable for the people of Ontario to think that the NDP are for lower gas bills. The NDP are for a carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. The NDP have members in their caucus that were calling for the highest carbon tax, not just in North America, but in the world, Mr. Speaker. Now the Liberals are fully on board with that as well. There's one party in this legislature that actually gives a darn about the affordability for people in this province, and that is Premier Ford and our team here on the PC side. We have been fighting since day one for more affordable electricity bills, not the tripling of electricity bills that we saw under the Liberal-NDP coalition or what we're currently seeing with the Liberal-NDP coalition up on Parliament Hill. That has us driving to the pumps today where it's a boxpots. That's because of the punitive carbon tax that the Queen of the Carbon Tax, Bonnie Cromby, Jugmeat and Justin have slapped onto the people of Ontario. One supplementary question. I feel like we're on track for another flip-flop on this one, Speaker. But anyways, this next question is for the Premier again. As millions of Ontarians struggle to find a family doctor, private companies are seeing an opportunity to make a profit. Instead of making sure everyone has access to primary care, the government is letting these so-called executive health clinics continue to charge patients thousands and thousands of dollars to see a doctor. Does the Premier believe people who can afford it should be able to use their credit card to skip to the front of the line? I remember for Stormont Dundas, South Glangaria and Parliamentary Assistant, the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. We will not tolerate clinics taking advantage of a loophole created by federal legislation, as we've stated in this House many times. That is why Minister Jones wrote to our federal counterparts to ensure that they prevent non-physicians from charging for publicly funded health services. While Ontario leads the country with close to 90% of people connected to a regular health care provider, we know there's more to do. As announced in the budget, our primary health expansion has expanded a total investment of 546 million over three years to connect 600,000 people to primary care. Our government has taken bold action through our Your Health Plan. We are taking innovative steps to grow our workforce to better serve the people of Ontario now and for years to come. Speaker, we will continue to work with the health partners across Ontario to ensure that Ontario has the best publicly funded health care when and where they need it. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Bold action? A letter? That's bold action? I want to make sure that the government truly understands this. These concierge clinics, they are promising patients 24-7 care and access to a dedicated team, but there's just one catch. Patients are expected to pay a whopping $12,000 a year. In the middle of a severe primary care shortage across this entire province, this is clearly creating a two-tiered health care system where those who can afford it are going to move to the front of the line at the expense of everybody else. So my question again to the Premier of this province is why is this government allowing for-profit clinics to compromise the integrity of the public health care system? And the Parliamentary Assistant Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. No matter where you get your old hip-covered service, you do not get charged at no nurse practitioner like clinic. We started the year with a record investment of $110 million to create 78 new and expanded interprofessional primary care teams and add over 400 new primary care providers to help close the gap in accessing primary care. In this budget, Speaker, we went even further. Our primary care expansion has expanded to a total investment of $546 million over three years to connect 600,000 Ontarians to primary care. While Ontario leads the country with almost 90% of people connecting to regular health care provider, we know that more can be done. As I mentioned, we will continue working with our health care partners across the province to ensure that we have the best publicly funded health care system when and where the people of Ontario need it. Final supplementary. Speaker, I think the member didn't get the question or the notes weren't really anticipating what I actually asked. I'm talking about these concierge clinics that are charging people $12,000 a year to bump to the head of the line. It's outrageous. Applications, meanwhile, for integrated primary health care teams are collecting dust somewhere, they're being totally ignored. Community health centres and primary care organisations, Indigenous primary care organisations, community health centres, and that nurse practitioner-led clinic since he mentioned them, they've been underfunded for over a decade. 2.4 million people in this province right now do not have a family doctor. People are very vulnerable to this. Public health care providers out there are calling this government's strategy for funding primary care, the Wild West. The government isn't just allowing these companies to take advantage of applications, they are in fact encouraging it. I want to ask the Premier, why are you allowing these for-profit clinics to get away with this while ignoring the model that we know works here in the province of Ontario? Members, please take their seats. Parliamentary Assistant, the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Our government is currently investing $85 billion into our publicly funded health care system, which is a 30% increase since 2018 when we took government. While the Liberals, propped up by the NDP, cut the residency school spots and limited the number of physicians practicing in interdisciplinary teams, our government has added 12,500 new physicians since 2018, 10% of those being family physicians. We have a plan to rebuild the health care in Ontario and we will not stop until everyone gets more convenient access to care when and where they need it, Speaker. Our government has taken bold action through our year health plan and we are taking innovative steps to grow our workforce to better serve the people of Ontario for years to come. Member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The government's only plan to alleviate traffic will take at least a decade. Meanwhile, it refuses to look at the 407. The NDP has put forward a cost-effective, smart solution to make better use of the 407. It is simple. Take the tolls off for trucks, get things moving, it's good for business and gives commuters room to breathe. So my question is, will this government recognize a good idea and remove 407 tolls for truckers? And to apply the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, our government is investing over $28 billion in the next 10 years to build highways. We know what the NDP is trying to do with this. They don't want the 413 to be built, Mr. Speaker. We know that our highways are going to be at capacity in the next five to 10 years. For 15 years, the Liberals did absolutely nothing to build infrastructure in this province. It's under this government, this Premier and this Minister of Infrastructure that we've launched over $190 billion worth of whether it's hospitals, schools, roads, highways, Mr. Speaker. We're going to get that built because this government is about building. We know that people are stuck in gridlock. Over 30 minutes will be saved each way when we build Highway 413, Mr. Speaker. And we will continue to move forward with this plan because that is what the people of this province elected us to do. I urge those members to go to communities like Brampton. In fact, they actually lost all three members of their team because of their position on Highway 413. So I urge the leader of the opposition to please go to Brampton, Mississauga, Milton, and communities across across your... Thank you. Some romantic questions. Thank you, Speaker. A 10-year plan doesn't help us today. Any Ontarian can tell you Highway 407 is terribly underused. If the government would get out of the Queens Park bubble, they'd find the 407 sitting half empty while the 401 stays bumper to bumper. It makes no sense. We have infrastructure we aren't being smart about. We need to better use existing highways. This government needs to do something about the 407. Specifically, will this government recognize a smart idea and remove 407 tolls for trucks? This government believes in building highways like the 413, the Bapur, Bypass, Highway 11, 17, 69, Highway 3. We're building all across the border because we want to improve the way our goods are moving. In fact, Mr. Speaker, the members opposite are so out of touch. What happened? Were those three members that were a part of that team before that, Mr. Speaker? They're not here anymore because the members from Brampton North, East and Centre supported the building of the 413, Mr. Speaker. Let's look at their record when it comes to drivers. They voted against removing tolls off the 412, the 418. They voted against those two measures that we took for drivers. They voted against removing $120 license plate sticker for trucks or cars, Mr. Speaker. Every step of the way, whether it's removing 10 cents off a leader for gasoline, they voted against that as well. If we ask them to join this government in our fight to scrap the carbon tax, what do they do? Absolutely nothing, Mr. Speaker. This government will put drivers first, people first and we'll do whatever we can. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Energy. People my riding of Perth Wellington tell me they want an end to the Liberal carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. Ontarians are not fooled by the Liberal's renaming tactics. Mr. Speaker, a tax is a tax is a tax. Plain and simple. They feel the impact of this disastrous tax every time they are at the pumps, the grocery store and paying their heating bills. They have had enough and our government under the Government has spoken out against this tax since day one because we know that a carbon tax makes life more difficult. That's why we fought this carbon tax all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and we won't give up until this tax is abolished. Speaker, can the Minister explain how the carbon tax unfairly impacts the people of Ontario? Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Thanks to the great member from Perth who has no doubt feels the pinch as he drives into Queens Park every day and people across the province are feeling it as they take their kids to hockey playoff games and of course soccer and baseball games are getting started Mr. Speaker, construction workers making their way into work on our brand new subway systems we're building here in Toronto and the refurbishments that we're doing at our nuclear facilities at Bruce Power. It's costing a lot of money to build our railways. I think it's a great chance to build the better railways. Maybe they are planning on taking a tour across Ontario and visiting one of the most beautiful provinces in the entire country in some of the great places that we have like Prince Edward County. I was down in Niagara Falls, you might have heard of it, it's a pretty significant tourist attraction in our province Mr. leader, Justin Trudeau's Carbon Tax, which went up a whopping 23% a week ago. It's resulting in a buck-80 at the pumps today, which is completely unacceptable. Thank you to the minister for that response. The carbon tax does nothing to reduce emissions. It only punishes hard-working people of this province, but shockingly, at a time when families are struggling to put food on the table, the Liberals decided to hike the carbon tax even further. They want to increase this carbon tax until it reaches $170 per tonne. That is unacceptable. Speaker, during these challenging times, all governments should be working together to take life more affordable for everyone. While the provincial Liberals support their federal counterparts, our government will continue to have Ontario's back and end this punitive tax. Can the minister please explain how the provincial Liberal carbon tax is creating financial hardship for everyone? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Queen of the Carbon Tax, Bonnie Cromby, the Liberal Leader, is in full support. As a matter of fact, the Federal Environment Minister says she's happy to have the federal carbon tax in place. We are opposed to that. We believe that there should not be a carbon tax in the province, and the member in his question said it's not having an impact. It's not driving down emissions in our province, and the Federal Environment Commissioner said the federal government is missing out on all of its climate goals. So all they're doing is punishing people across our province and across our country, Mr. Speaker. You know, we're seeing the results at the grocery store. We're seeing the results on our natural gas bills, Mr. Speaker. We're seeing the results of increases to our natural gas bills, and we're certainly seeing it at the gasoline pumps. A buck eighty a liter today, Mr. Speaker, in parts of Ontario, Prime Minister Trudeau and the Queen of the Carbon Tax, Bonnie Cromby, need to do a 180 and do away with the federal carbon tax. Now, Mr. Speaker. The next question, the member for Hamilton West and Castro Dundas. Speaker, in the middle of our housing crisis, rents continue to climb at alarming rates. In Hamilton, rents increased by 20% in just the last year. Data from Ontario's rental housing tribunal shows that corporate landlords are abusing the above guideline increase process to raise high rental rates even higher than provincial guidelines. So my question is very simple. What is this government doing to protect tenants from these unfair rent increases, and what are you doing to make sure tenants stay housed? The Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for the question. The cost of everything is a concern for this government, and you've heard the Minister of Energy address some of those issues. Mr. Speaker, what we're doing is making sure that we have an independent tribunal with a fair and an independent process. Look at those requests to raise above guidelines. That's how the system is built, so that it's not a political decision, so that we have professionals making independent decisions, and that, Mr. Speaker, is what we're doing in terms of letting those people have their say. I'll say more in the supplementary, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question, the member for University Rosebeck. I thank you, Speaker. Back to the Attorney General. At 1-440 and 1-442 Lawrence Avenue West, owned by Barney River Apartments, tenants have received three above-guide lent increases in their last seven years, despite the building being in such horrible conditions that Canada Post deemed it unsafe to deliver mail to it. At 33 King, owned by Dream Unlimited, tenants have received the highest number of AGI's in the whole city, making their rents go up three times higher than rent control. These are some of the most profitable landlords in the country. They can afford to maintain their buildings with the rent they collect without resorting to AGI's. This government needs to clamp down on AGI abuse. Can you do that? Yes or no? The Attorney General. Mr. Speaker, coming to question period, sometimes just like reading the Toronto Star, because I read that story this morning, Mr. Speaker. Look, the NDP want us to interfere in the independent tribunal when it suits their purpose, Mr. Speaker. They want us to interfere in an independent tribunal and independent hearings, Mr. Speaker. They would have us meddle in that independence, Mr. Speaker, when they want a different outcome somewhere else. They say you shouldn't be meddling, Mr. Speaker. So, you know, I just don't know which way it goes with the NDP, except the ends justifies the means for them, Mr. Speaker, and we will not meddle with the independent tribunal. We set up a fair, transparent process and we will let them do their work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question, order, the member for Thornhill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. As Ontario population grows, the need to maintain and expand our public education system has become increasingly important. Our government must continue to build the education infrastructure we need to ensure that future generations have access to state-of-the-art schools and their communities. So under the leadership of Premier Ford, we're making critical investments that will provide children in this province with the resources and the support they need to thrive and succeed in an ever-changing world. Speaker, can the Minister please tell the House what our government is doing to help more children attend school close to home? Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for Thornhill for her leadership, advocating for us to go back to basics in Ontario schools and, Speaker, after we landed deals with every teacher union in Ontario, a historic achievement is providing stability for children. We announced a commitment to more than double the funding to build modern schools after the former Liberals closed 600 in this province. A commitment to more than double the funding, a 136% increase in funding as we approved this year alone, over 27,000 student spaces, 1,700 additional childcare spaces in schools. When you put it all together, Speaker, under a government's leadership, 100,000 spaces are being built as we speak. We're building. We are investing in delivering a more highly qualified education system that goes back to the basics in Ontario. And the supplementary question, Member. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his answer and his commitment to the students and the parents of Ontario. So families in my riding of Thornhill will be thrilled to hear our government is committing to expanding Ontario's world-class public education system so that children can thrive and prosper in a school closer to their homes. It's crucial that more learning spaces be built so our education infrastructure can keep in pace with Ontario's growing communities. Ontario families cannot wait like they did under the Liberals to have a new school built in their communities. Students deserve convenient access to in-class learning that comes with extracurricular activities, sports and clubs. That's why our government must continue to support the construction of modern educational facilities where students can receive the important lifelong skills such as reading, writing and math they need. Now that our government has more than doubled the fund to build schools, Speaker, through you, can the Minister please outline our government's plan to build schools faster? Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. We announced the plan to build schools faster and smarter on time, on budget, to cut the time it takes to build. Under the former Liberals, the average was eight years to build a standardised school in this province. We are challenging the status quo by developing and implementing a plan to cut construction time line by half. Speaker, I'm proud to report that in this round, because of the changes we implemented in the Better Schools to Null Comes Act, 81% of new builds in this province are using standardised designs as a consequence of our mission, which is to speed up construction to improve shovel-ready projects in our smallest towns and our biggest cities as we build schools and highways and homes and the infrastructure necessary to ensure we build this province. Thank you, Speaker. And the next question. The Member for Thunder Bay, Superior North. Thank you, Speaker. According to a recent Insurance Bureau of Canada report, new commercial truck drivers with inadequate training are putting the safety of Canada's roads and highways in jeopardy, validating what we have been saying all along. Premier, this is the reality. Immigrants are being charged up to $40,000 for training they never receive. Many are simply given a licence and sent on the road with red tape and green tape on the pedals to indicate stop and go. Licence tests must be done by the MTO. When will this government finally do something to protect these workers and all other road users from preventable accidents? Mr. Speaker, we take truck training and safety on our highways very seriously. That's why we continue to rank in Ontario as some of the safest roads in all of North America. Mr. Speaker, Ontario leads North America in our truck training and we will continue to work with the industry to do whatever we can to strengthen that and have no room for any of those who abuse the system or who act outside of the rules and regulations, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to ensure that safety is the topmost priority on our streets and on our highways, Mr. Speaker. There's nothing more important than that and we will have and we will come down hard on anyone who contravenes any of those rules or regulations, Mr. Speaker, but we will continue to speak with the industry, speak with those on the roads and ensure we do everything we can to continue improving those measures, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Some companies are misclassifying drivers as independent contractors, leaving them without WSIB coverage. These drivers can't refuse to take an unsafe vehicle or they won't be paid. They are pushed to take risks on the highways to beat the clock or they won't be paid. And because wage theft is rampant, they have to fight their employers to receive any pay at all. When will you institute company inspections with harsher consequences for employers breaking the law? Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we will not allow anyone to break the law in this province, Mr. Speaker. This government is all about law in order to ensure that those who do contravene the law are held to account, Mr. Speaker. We have worked with the Ministry of Labor skills and training development to ensure that truckers continue to be trained. In fact, the member and the Minister have done various measures to help improve safety and training along with truck drivers across their province. Truck drivers are some of the most important people in our economy. They move goods across this province. Their safety is of utmost priority to this government and to all members of this House. And, Mr. Speaker, we will do whatever we can, and that is why we have always constantly supported measures for the trucking industry, whether it's building new highways, whether it's building the infrastructure that they need to continue to support the safety and the safety of their transportation industry. We will continue to do so and continue to work with the industry to ensure that all measures are taken into consideration. Thank you. Next question, the member for Scarborough-Gilwood. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. It seems like each day this government gives Ontarians another reason not to believe them. They say one thing and then do another. They promise, they make a promise just to break it. In my community of Scarborough, we know this all too well. Scarborough's transit has been left to decay by this government, while commuters, families and students are left out in the cold. When do they show up? When it benefits them? The former Conservative MPP for Milton, Jumpship from the Caucus, after years of scandals. And now that there's a by-election, the Premier and his minister finally found Milton on a map. They showed up to make a transit announcement about the UP Express that only days later they would, you guessed it, reverse. My question to the Premier, how is anyone supposed to believe you will get anything done when you can't even finish what you've started? The Government House will do it. Well, Speaker, I say this, I know the member's riding very well. I used to live in the community and I used to have to take the Scarborough 86 bus from my home to Kennedy Station and then Kennedy Station for my first job, which was as an intern at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Mr. Speaker. Now, after 15 years of Liberals, do you know what people are still doing in that neck of the woods? They're still taking the Scarborough 86 bus to Kennedy Station to get on a subway to get to work downtown. But you know what's going to stop for them? They're going to have a subway now in Scarborough. If they choose not to go to the University of Toronto downtown, they can go to the expanded University of Toronto where? In Scarborough. If they want to be a doctor. You know where they can go get that education? In Scarborough. You know what they couldn't do under 15 years of Liberals and Liberals in that riding? Anything, Mr. Speaker, because that's what the Liberals did. They held Scarborough back. We're unleashing opportunity and it's good for Scarborough. A supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, Ontarians are tied of broken promises and flip-flops. It seems like the Government doesn't think before they act. The Premier promised a London goal line and then cancelled it. Reversing course on the UP Express only two days after announcing it. Six years working on the Eglinton Crossdown while the CEO gets six figure raises and they still refuse to provide timelines for its completion. You know what, Mr. Speaker? It seems like this Government has a real problem with trains. But you know which one is working. Just find the $6.9 million gravy train that is running right through the Premier's office. Well, the Premier has raised the budget by $4 million in just six years and 48 staffers are making more than the average Ontario family. So again, why should anyone in Milton or across Ontario believe this Government when all they have done is break their promises? Order. The Associate Minister of Transportation, maybe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the 15 years, Ontario Liberals did nothing for Scarborough. They did not build subway, they did not build new hospitals, they did not build new medical schools, Mr. Speaker. There is no Government has done more for Scarborough than this Government under the leadership of Premier Ford, Mr. Speaker. We are building Scarborough subway after 30 years of liberal, 15 years of liberal interaction, Mr. Speaker. Ontario Liberals voted no for Scarborough subway. Ontario Liberals voted no for the first ever medical school in Scarborough, Mr. Speaker. Guess what, Mr. Speaker? People of Scarborough deserved new hospitals, Premier, Doug Ford, building a brand-new hospital and Ontario Liberals voted no for the brand-new hospital, Mr. Speaker. The next question, the member for Lanark Frontenac, Kingston. Thank you, Speaker. My question was for the Minister of Energy. During a period of rising costs of living and high interest rates, it's important for all governments to find ways to make life more affordable for people in Ontario. But the Liberal-Carbon tax keeps making life more difficult for the hardworking men and women in our province. I've heard from my families, from my constituents, families and farmers in my riding of Lanark Frontenac, Kingston, about how much costs for gas and groceries have increased as a result of this tax. Everyone in Ontario is experiencing this. Speaker, I understand small businesses across the province still haven't seen any of the rebate money they were promised three years ago. That's not right. Speaker, Ontario's are looking to our government for support. That's why we need to keep calling on the federal Liberals to cut the carbon tax. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the Liberal-Carbon tax is creating financial hardship for everyone in our province? Yeah, good question. Minister of Energy. Thanks to the great member from just north of Kingston, Mr. Speaker, he's an outstanding new member in our caucus and standing up for the residents. He's writing great concerns about the carbon tax, whether they're farmers or that mum and dad that's heading to take their kids to hockey, as I mentioned earlier, to school or the construction workers that are working so hard. The member talked about those small business people that haven't received their carbon tax rebate. Now, we could solve this by not having the carbon tax in the first place. This was what we've been pushing for since 2018 here with Premier Ford and our team in Ontario. But I had a meeting with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business just last week where they told me about the fact that this $1.3 billion had been stuck there in Ottawa and business owners hadn't received it. Obviously, again, the solution to the problem scrapped the carbon tax, eliminated entirely, so you don't have to worry about it. But Bonnie Cromby, the Queen of the Carbon Tax and the Ontario Liberal Caucus, believed the people of Ontario are better off with this carbon tax than without it. I know the people just north of Kingston, up in Smith Falls and in Perth and all of those great communities in eastern Ontario don't support the carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. Member for Lanark-Rodman-Kigston, supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, and thanks to the minister for that response. As I said, life is already expensive for the hardworking people of our province, but the Liberals in this legislature, much like their federal counterparts, are only focused on raising taxes for Ontario families and businesses. Speaker, people in our province need urgent relief. Unlike the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Cromby and her caucus, our government is focused on making life more affordable for Ontarians. It's time for the federal government to listen to what we have been saying for years and get rid of the carbon tax once and for all. Speaker, can the minister explain what our government is doing to protect the people of this province from the costly carbon tax? Minister of Energy. Alan Dyer, let's be clear again, thanks to the member for the question, the Queen of the Carbon Tax, Bonnie Cromby loves hiking taxes. I mean, that's all she did when she was the mayor of Mississauga, Mr. Speaker, for all those years. Now she's brought those same practices to her partisan role as the Liberal Leader here in Ontario. She's happy to have the federal carbon tax in place, Mr. Speaker, and she would be way too expensive for the people of Ontario if she was ever elected into this wonderful chamber that we have here in Ontario. But again, we're standing up for the people of Ontario by cutting gasoline taxes while Liberals are driving gasoline taxes up higher and higher every year on April 1st, Mr. Speaker. We're cutting those gasoline taxes. We're ensuring that we have affordable energy right across the province, like that big investment in hydroelectric power that I was saying earlier. I'm asking the member for Spadina for your... Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Carmelite Daycare that serves my riding is shutting its doors for good in July. And once the doors are shut, Jennifer, a single mother in my riding, will no longer have childcare for her daughter. She is one of 175 families impacted by this closure. What is this government doing to make sure that there is childcare for all of the families in Ontario that require it? Mr. Speaker, after the Liberals increased childcare costs to 500% pricing so many families out of the job market where mothers often had to stay home instead of going to work because of the economic disincentives of unaffordable childcare, we delivered a plan in partnership with all levels of government that has reduced fees by 50% saving $8,000 to $12,000 per child. Now, Mr. Speaker, the member speaks about access for constituents who would seek childcare. And yet the member's party and the Liberals recommended to the government that we remove 30% of the market by denying for-profit childcare. We're talking about tens of thousands of spaces for families in Toronto that would have been reduced and cut and eliminated if we did it the way the NDP and Liberals recommended. We are standing up for choice, we're respecting parents and we're ensuring all families benefit from affordability in this province. A supplementary question. Well, the government's actions don't support the answer that you just gave. Tina, another parent who's impacted is on multiple wait lists for childcare and her child may have to change schools if the Carmelite Centre closes. This government has fought against $10 a day childcare from the get-go. They were the last province to sign the agreement with the federal government. The TD Bank estimated that we would need 315,000 spaces for $10 a day childcare. This government made a plan for 1 third of that number. This government downloads administration to municipalities for implementing the $10 a day childcare, then cut $85.5 million from those administration fees. Will this government stop its crusade against $10 a day childcare, or will you leave Jennifer and Tina and hundreds of thousands of families across this province without the childcare that they need? Minister of Education. You know, Mr. Speaker, we didn't sign any deal with the federal government. We signed a better deal for the people of this province with billions of dollars of additional support. And the record must be clear. Liberals and new Democrats stood in this house encouraging, in fact, demanding the government signed a deal that would have left 70,000 spaces and families behind because of your ideological conviction to oppose small business women who own for-profit childcare. That's the choice. That's what those three parents you mentioned should know, that you would have made it worse, increased weightless, decreased access, increased costs. We stood up to this Prime Minister for a better deal. We will always stand up for all families, all children in all regions of this province. Next question, the member for Don Valley North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Solicitor General. Speaker, with more than a 100% increase in occurrences this year compared to the same period in 2023, I need to talk about the carjuckings again. Speaker, this is clearly not the first time that you have heard me speak on this issue. But when my constituents tell me that they feel unsafe in their cars, on the streets, and even in their own homes, I must speak up for them. Speaker, my question is, can the Solicitor General please tell this House about the progress that the provincial carjucking joint task force has been making? Thank you. The Solicitor General. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague opposite. It's undeniable that the crisis that we have in auto theft is completely unacceptable. People's doors are being knocked in at five in the morning and people are being demanded to hand over the keys. And that's why we've never had a government. We've never had a stronger government, our government led by Premier Ford that takes us so seriously. And Mr. Speaker, I have to say that the OPP and Toronto Police have teamed up to lead a province-wide task force to fight auto theft. And in January this past year, the proof is in the pudding because of what they have accomplished. 89 people arrested, 554 charges late, and hundreds of vehicles returned. Our investment of over $100 million is working. Supporting over 21 police services with auto theft grants is working. We're treating this with high priority. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the Surgeon General for his response. Speaker, more than 12,000 vehicles were stolen in Toronto last year with a combined value of $790 million. Speaker, the impact of car theft extends to all Ontarians due to inclusion, insurance, premiums. But the rise in inflation and the cost of living, the last thing that we need now is another added expense. Speaker, my follow-up question to the Surgeon General is how are stolen vehicles being shipped overseas? And can he explain how this government is putting pressure on the federal government to take this issue seriously and to act immediately? Thank you. Once again, Mr. Surgeon General. Well, Mr. Speaker, the member is right. Our cars are going overseas, and that's why when I attended the auto theft summit in Ottawa, I had two requests for the federal government. Change the protocols at the Port of Montreal so that containers are being inspected, the same on outbound cargo as they are in inbound cargo. And the second thing that Premier Ford has said loudly, there must be consequences for people stealing our cars. There must be minimum sentencing. Mr. Speaker, we know on this side where we sit, but the opposition does not stand for public safety. And you know why we know it? Because when police board budgets went before their councils for approval, the proxies for the Liberals and the NDP voted no in Ottawa, in London, in Hamilton, and in other cities, it's completely unacceptable. Next question, the member for Simcoe Gray. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. Pork farmers contribute to making Ontario a world-class exporter for growing international markets. In 2023, Ontario's pork sector contributed over $3 billion in GDP to the provincial economy and supported over 19,000 jobs across the value chain from the farm to processing. Despite its instrumental contribution to our province's economy, the overall competitiveness of this sector is compromised by the federal carbon tax. This regressive and punitive carbon tax leads to increased costs of production and transportation of food, placing a heavy financial burden on farmers, and compromising the competitiveness of our agricultural sector on the global scale, Speaker. Can the Minister please explain how the federal carbon tax is negatively impacting Ontario's farmers? The parliamentary system, the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, and the member for... Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the member from Simcoe Gray for that important question. Ontario farmers are ready to grow food for a growing Ontario, and they're ready to do it 365 days out of the year. But by taxing farmers, you're actually taxing growing Ontario. Let me give you a quote from John De Bruyne, the former chair of Ontario pork. The carbon tax has amounted to an unfair burden to farmers, adding costs and lowering incomes without reducing emissions. Mr. Speaker, farmers need to heat their barns. They need to dry grain, they need to power the greenhouses. There's no option here, it has to be done. If we eliminate this useless tax on farmers, we could unleash the full potential of farming and agriculture in the province of Ontario. Thank you. Here, here. And the supplementary, the member for Simcoe Gray. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that response. The carbon tax only serves to harm farmers in my riding of Simcoe Gray and across this great province, and it impacts their potential to grow Ontario's agriculture and food industry. Speaker, Ontario's agriculture and food industry contributes over $48 billion to our province GDP and economy, representing more than 800,000 jobs. And that is why it is so vital that this sector continues to grow and produce more food for our growing population and expanding its export market. However, production costs for our farmers, greenhouse growers and food processors have risen considerably since the implementation of this disastrous carbon tax. And that is why we on this side of the house are continuing to urge the federal government to scrap the carbon tax now. Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant outline what measures our government has taken to support our farmers and fight this carbon tax? The parliamentary assistant, member for Essex. Thank you, Speaker. We will always say yes to growing Ontario and we will never say no and punish farmers for producing quality food in our safe quality food system. That's why the Minister of Agriculture signed a letter together with 25 farm and agricultural organizations calling on the federal government to pause the destructive carbon tax increase on April the 1st. Now I urge the liberals in this house, please take that letter to your federal colleagues in Ottawa, hop in your minivan and hand deliver it to Justin Trudeau in Ottawa and remove the carbon tax. Farmers cannot afford liberals. They can't afford the liberal leader and our government will do everything it can to make farming and food production in Ontario more affordable. Thank you. Next question, the member for Kiwetnaw. Good morning, Speaker Miigwech. Speaker, I'm Janong, First Nation, as asking Sarnia's Ineos chemical plant to be shut down after community members reported headaches, nausea and dizziness on Tuesday. The First Nations Air Quality Monitoring Station near the bound office continues to report high benzene levels. Why is Ontario allowing this company to continue with business as usual while people are getting sick from their emissions? Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. I am concerned of what's happening and I spoke to Amjumma Plain yesterday to discuss the situation and the impacts on the people of his community. I also spoke to representatives from Ineos and made it clear that we expect them to quickly work to identify the source of these emissions and implement a solution. Make no mistake, when it comes to protecting health and safety, we will not hesitate to use our strong regulatory tools and enforce actions to hold emitters to account. As of now, our mobile air monitoring truck has already been deployed for several days and remains on site in Sarnia indefinitely. I will continue to ensure that compliance with all past orders made to Ineos, including requirements to install emission control equipment, are done and air quality is monitored. Supplement to question. Again, Speaker, again, Amjumma First Nation has called upon the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks to immediately impose a shutdown of the Ineos facility to reduce the ongoing benzene emissions and to protect community members. Speaker, this is a major health and safety issue. Wellness in the First Nation is at that all-time low. The ministry continues to ignore the concerns, how many more people have to get sick before Ontario sets down and takes action. This is Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. I remain deeply concerned and I do have an additional call with Amjumma playing this afternoon. We currently already have environmental compliance officers who've been conducting site visits of Ineos, but, Speaker, we will not hesitate to take additional actions to protect the people of Sarnia and Amjumma First Nations. Thank you. The next question to member for Peterborough Court. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Solicitor General. Since the introduction of the Liberal Carbon Tax in 2019, life has become more and more unaffordable for Ontarians. With the support of the Liberal members in this heaps, the federal government continues to push, punish Ontario families who are already struggling to put food on the table and heat their homes. It's forcing Ontarians to pay more at the gas pumps, 14 cent increase just yesterday. This is not what the hardworking people of the province of Ontario deserve. The carbon tax is costing everyone, including our frontline heroes. Ontario deserves better and our government must do all we can to fight this regressive tax. Speaker, can the Solicitor General please explain the consequences of the federal carbon tax on our province's public safety system? The Solicitor General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my friend from Peterborough, Cawortha, but also for his commitment of public safety in his community. And I want to give a shout out to his police chief, Stu Betts, who does a great job to keep Peterborough safe. Mr. Speaker, I've said this many times and it's absolutely obvious that carbon tax has a direct impact on the cost of public safety. As example, for the OPP, they spend over $4 million a year just in carbon tax. And by the numbers, Mr. Speaker, as of April 1, Ontarians are now paying 18 cents a litre for gas and 21 cents a litre for diesel. That means on every vehicle that is being used for public safety, on every vehicle that is being used for public safety, there's carbon tax. We know where we stand. We know where they stand. Bonnie Cromby has to come clean and say, this is regressive and it's affecting our community's safety. That's a supplementary question. Thanks, Speaker. And thank you to the Solicitor General for that response. It is truly disappointing to see the federal government ignore the significant financial burden the carbon tax places on all of our frontline heroes. Shame. Unfortunately, both the NDP and the liberal members in this legislature continue to support the federal liberals and their unjust carbon tax. They just have to make a phone call to Jagmeet and Justin and ask them to change it. Speaker, since our government was elected in 2018, affordability has been one of our top priorities. Unlike the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Cromby, our government is fighting the carbon tax. We've frozen the gas tax and we're saving Ontarians their hard-earned money. We're keeping the pressure on and calling for the carbon tax to be scrapped so that the first responders who keep our communities safe won't be impacted by this regressive tax. Speaker, can the Solicitor General please explain how the liberal carbon tax is negatively impacting law enforcement and public safety agencies all across Ontario? Solicitor General. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again, to my friend opposite, thank you for the question. Let's just talk about Peterborough, Mr. Speaker. As of April the 1st, 3.3 cents a litre was added to the carbon tax. That means the vehicles for Peterborough Police Service have to pay this in every vehicle at every fill-up. This means they're paying on average $800 a year just for the increase in the carbon tax. And you know what, Mr. Speaker? Bonnie Cromby knows this. She sat on the board of Peel Police Services for many years. She knew how to read a budget. She knew that the carbon tax is embedded in the cost of fuel. She should come clean with Ontarians and say, this is wrong. I will call Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet in Ottawa and tell them it's affecting our community's safety. Senator, give me a member for Ottawa West to be in. Thank you, Speaker. The Minister of Health has repeatedly claimed that no one needs to pay for health care with their credit card. Yet my constituent, Khalid, was charged $3,590 to get his cataracts fixed. Khalid's doctor said the surgery was medically necessary. So can the Minister of Health please explain to Khalid why he had to pay for the surgery and the tests on his credit card? I'll let you assist the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Our government knows the status quo is not working and more needs to be done. That is why we launched your health plan. We are taking bold action to eliminate surgical backlogs and reduce wait times for publicly funded surgeries and procedures. Our plan is investing in infrastructure, boosting health human resources, and adding educational supports for the future. Our plan is adding thousands of hours of MRI and CT scans and more procedures, including hip and knee replacements closer to home, all accessible with your O-Hip card, not your credit card. Our plan has already reduced the surgical backlog to below pre-pandemic levels. Speaker, we will continue to work with the health care partners across Ontario to ensure that we have the best publicly funded health care when and where people need it. Supplementary question. Your health plan and the government's bold initiatives are costing my constituents, like Khalid, thousands of dollars that they are having to pay on their credit card, Speaker. One of the things Khalid was charged for was the lenses used for his surgery. The doctor told him he needed to have these lens because he has a stigmatism. These lenses cost him $1,590, and Khalid is not alone. We know from the Ontario Health Coalition report yesterday that thousands of people across our province are being charged fees like this every single day for procedures that they don't need. Why is the Minister of Health allowing private clinics to upsell patients on services by telling them that they are necessary when they are not? Thank you, Speaker. First and foremost, we do have the ProtectPublicHealthHair.ca that that constituent can call, or 1-88-662-6613. Speaker, it took Ontario years of neglect by the previous governments, propped up by the NDP, but our government has taken action in delivering results for Ontarians. Our government is proud to have one of the largest publicly funded health care systems across the whole world, a system we're investing $85 billion in this year. Order. There are countless stories of life-changing impacts across the province, and the evidence that expanding our capacity in our healthcare system is creating access for more surgeries and procedures than ever before. Our government will continue to find innovative ways to make it faster and easier for Ontarians to access the care they need when they need closer to home. The next question, remember for Grant for Grant. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. Speaker, Canada's inflation rate just rose to 2.9% this past month thanks to higher gas prices. Data from Statistics Canada indicate that if it wasn't for gasoline prices, inflation would have actually gone down month over month. Speaker, we know that many small businesses rely on transportation to deliver goods and services. The carbon tax is making it more expensive to run their operations. The federal government must fix their broken tax measures, scrap the carbon tax, and deliver real affordability for small businesses across Ontario. Speaker, can the Associate Minister please tell this House how the carbon tax and high gasoline prices hurt our small businesses in Ontario? Thank you. Thank you. The Associate Minister for Small Business. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the great member from Grant for Grant for his strong advocacy for his small businesses. Speaker, so many of our small businesses rely heavily on transportation and energy intensive operations to deliver their goods and services. Ontario's agricultural and agri-food businesses from family farms to processing facilities have seen their transportation and operating costs skyrocket. But the opposition liberals in NDP have ignored the basic economics of why the carbon tax is bad for business. In fact, they think business owners and customers are better off. So, if you're a lover of farmer's markets, you can thank a liberal the next time you see the price of Ontario produce go up. And when you pick up the necessary groceries for your family, you can thank a liberal who have to make those tough decisions on what to pick up and what to put back. Join us and tell the Trudeau Liberals that this expensive, unaffordable tax has to be axed. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. That concludes our question period for this morning. The member for Kingston and the Islands has a point of order. Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to seek unanimous consent for the following, that in the opinion of the House, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario calls on the Ontario government to protect Ontario's water supply and not repeat the tragedy that happened in Walkerton 24 years ago by ensuring the current safety regulations, including Ontario's free and public water testing, remain unchanged. I believe the member is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion. Agreed? On the same point of order? Look, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, we're not going to entertain a substantive motion like that. If the Liberal Party would like to bring something on the floor, they have many opportunities to do that. As opposed to playing games, perhaps they would take their work seriously and bring something to the floor of this House, but I can assure the member that we will be voting against a motion that we have neither seen nor have been advised about what the contents of it are. Agreed? No. The Minister of the Environment, Conservation Parks, I believe, has a point of order. Thank you. I just wanted to give a point of order in case folks are looking to go inside to the South Lawn for their lunch. We're going to have waste resources that are there. They're going to be highlighting a fuel, an alternative, high alternative fuel usage in their waste collection system. It's a really interesting truck. I encourage everyone to go visit it and welcome to the Board from Waste Resources. Thank you. There being no further business this morning, no deferred votes, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.