 Order. It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's own application. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Ontario's health care system is on the brink of collapse because of Bill 124. While jurisdictions around the world try to attract our health care workers, this government chose to freeze their pay and dock their wages and fight them in court. And then they lost again. Now it's time to pay up at least six billion dollars so far. The financial accountability is saying the government could owe workers more than 13 billion dollars, Speaker. So to the Premier, how much money is this government currently withholding from working people? To respond, the Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, through all this, we value very much the hardworking health care workers, teachers, construction workers, skilled trades through COVID and beyond as they help us rebuild Ontario. Mr. Speaker, obviously, when in 2022 the judge ruled Bill 124 to be unconstitutional, we then negotiated and through arbitration and other means have been paying out fair and reasonable wages to all those workers that we value. Mr. Speaker, that money has been going out for the last almost two years. And in fact, we have expended virtually all that money over 90% of the agreement. So, Mr. Speaker, what is really important to know as we rebuild this province, as we build the infrastructure, as we build the hospitals, when we rebuild the schools, as we build the highways and the public transit, everyone in Ontario will participate to help rebuild Ontario. That's a good question. Speaker, here's the thing. The impact of Bill 124 was felt in communities right across this province. And now, even without Bill 124 hanging over us, hiring and retention has become nearly impossible. Without dedicated funding to incentivize workers to stay in hospitals and long-term care homes, in home care and primary care, our public health care system will continue to suffer. So back to the Premier, will this government finally pay workers what they're owed in the upcoming budget? Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, you know, as I as I am a student of history, one thing I remember is from 2003 to 2018, the Liberal Party supported for three years by the NDP at 2011-2014 didn't build anything, Mr. Speaker. We inherited an infrastructure deficit. They closed 600 schools. They didn't build roads. They didn't build subways. They didn't build hospitals. They didn't build long-term care. In my own writing, from 2011 to 2018, you know how many net new beds were built in long-term care? Squadouche, Mr. Speaker, zero. Mr. Speaker, this government has a plan to rebuild this economy. It's a plan to build the infrastructure. It has a plan to support the workers who are going to build that and service those buildings. Mr. Speaker, this government has a plan and we're going to not stop until the job gets done. Mr. Speaker, thank you. This Premier and his government have never had any respect for working people and the working people of this province know it. They spent years fighting nurses and public sector workers in court to hold down their wages. And now this Premier has gone as far as calling the President of the union that represents those public sector workers a liar. The same person who represents health care workers and bus drivers, the people who care for our kids, who represent health care workers, who drive our transit system, the people who staff our long-term care facilities. And this Premier called them a liar and that Speaker is disgraceful. So, Speaker, back to the Premier. Why does this Premier have such contempt for the hard-working people of Ontario? Minister of Finance. Just the opposite, Mr. Speaker. This government is working with all the workers across Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Trade unions support us in the last election. That number is growing, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, last week I was out with the Premier in this Minister of Transportation touring in Windsor. In Windsor, the great work and job that they're doing at the Stellantis Battery Manufacturing Plant. This is creating good-working jobs and you know who's doing those jobs? The hard-working people of Windsor. And we crisscross this province and often when I'm with the Premier and with my colleagues, you know what? They line up from here to there to meet the Premier and thank him for his leadership to not only supporting all workers but to support the building of this economy, Mr. Speaker. We inherited a weak economy. We're rebuilding that economy. Great jobs, bigger paychecks, and including all workers in Ontario. Thank you. The next question. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Speaker, this Premier and his government they drive right past the striking workers in Windsor and they don't stop for a second. That's the truth. Mr. Speaker, maybe the Premier will answer this question. Back when his government announced that they were opening the doors to health care privatization, the NDP warned that people would be forced to use their credit card to get health care. The government said this would never happen. Never. But here we are. We're hearing from more and more people who have been charged $70, $90 for a single visit. In some cases several hundred dollars just to get an annual membership at a private clinic. So to the Premier, do you agree that these patients were not able to use their health card and did in fact have to pull out their credit card? To apply the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. I have to assume that the member opposite is referencing some nurse practitioner led clinics that are charging patients for a membership. As we have said repeatedly, there is a loophole in the Federal Canada Health Act that we are actively engaged with the federal government on to close that loophole. It is important for all of us to understand that publicly funded OHIP covered services as protected from the Canada within the Canada Health Act continue to be offered using your OHIP card, not your credit card. That's what we will fight for on this side of the house. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. A loophole? A loophole? They always knew this would happen. It was always about making some people wealthy while patients went without care. Speaker, this government is creating a two-tiered health care system where you only get care if you can afford it and that's the truth. It's absolutely unacceptable. These private clinics are preying on the most vulnerable. 2.2 million Ontarians without a family doctor. Dozens more clinics are expected to open in the coming months. So back to the Premier. I hope he answers this question. Why are you starving the public community-based primary care system in our province in favour of private clinics that are charging patients? Please take your seats. Minister of Health. 78 new or expanded primary care expansions in the province of Ontario in February. We have made announcements that literally cover all parts of Ontario to ensure that primary care multidisciplinary teams are able to expand and offer those services to ensure that everyone who wants a primary care practitioner has that offering. And you know respectfully, Speaker, I must say as we talk about expanding multidisciplinary teams what do the NDP want to talk about? They want to talk about administration. I want to see primary care expansions where you see physicians, where you see nurse practitioners working together with dietitians, with mental health workers, with registered nurses, with PSWs to make sure that whatever care you use in your treatment journey, you have access to it. Speaker, 2.2 million Ontarians who don't have family doctors aren't buying that. I guarantee it. 16,000 people in Sault Ste. Marie are about to lose their doctor this year. In Kingston, people were lined up through the night in the rain just for the chance to get a spot with a doctor. An estimated 30,000 people are waiting for access to primary care in that city alone. Our system is under enormous strain because of this government's failures and their bad decisions, Speaker. So back to the Premier of this province. When will he stop putting the private needs of for-profit providers ahead of the needs of patients? Minister of Health. Perhaps the member opposite wasn't listening when I made the announcement in February and actually had the periwinkle example beside me where an additional 10,000 people in Kingston are going to be served by multidisciplinary teams and to quote Dr. Philpott whether when you need a family doc you will see a family doc. When you need to see a nurse practitioner you will see a nurse practitioner. When you need to see a mental health worker you will see a mental health worker. Primary care multidisciplinary teams are where we need to be to ensure the people of Ontario get access to the care they need. And 78 new and expanded opportunities came forward when we made those announcements in February and you go to the Davenport organization that is receiving an expansion and tell them that you do not support multidisciplinary teams. To make the comments through the chair. The next question. Leader of the opposition. We on this side are not going to take lessons from a government that is failing Ontarians to such a degree. 2.2 million Ontarians without a family doctor speaker under this government by the time we get to 2026 that number is going to have doubled. A quarter of Ontarians won't have access to primary care at this rate. We have to go faster. Order. We need to act quickly. Doctors nurses administrators allied health professionals have all been very clear about the solution funding a team based approach to primary care. Order. That's why I tabled our motion today to get this government's commitment to fully funded integrated primary teams across the province not just in some towns in every town every Ontarian deserves that access so too the Premier will you support this motion. Minister of health. You know the NDP's motion is a stark reminder of what they want to focus on. They want to focus on administration expansion. We want to focus on multidisciplinary teams and to suggest that the health system had been adequately looked after under an NDP government which cut by 10% the number of medical positions that were available in the province of Ontario. The Liberal government of the day that cut medical seats available for students in Ontario. We are expanding primary care. We are expanding medical schools in Brampton, in Scarborough. We have in Northern Ontario School of Medicine over 100 additional medical seats available to students who want to practice in Northern Ontario. We are getting the job done after many many years of neglect from the previous governments. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. Primary care providers, patients. They know that this is just a drop in the bucket. It's not going far enough and the government knows this too. They're making a choice. They're choosing to expand private for-profit care in this province to line the pockets of private for-profit corporate shareholders. That's what this is all about. Doctors in this province on the other hand are spending nearly half their time filling out forms and doing administrative follow-ups. Our motion would unlock thousands of hours of direct patient care by investing in new supports for healthcare providers. It's about putting patients first instead of paperwork. So back to the Premier. Is he content to govern a province where millions are going without basic care or will he listen to the primary care providers and take this simple step to get people to care that they so desperately need? Minister of Health. I will remind the member opposite that since 2021 we have been actively engaged with the Ontario Medical Association to look at the paperwork that they are doing that could be absolutely wrong. You need to have the facts speaker and what is happening is we have active engagements with the Ontario Medical Association to say show us where we can do better. Show us where we can make changes. Leader of the Opposition, come to order. I'm going to rely on the Ontario Medical Association with a great respect. Those discussions have led to some very positive outcomes in terms of removing some of the paperwork that we've been doing. Is there more work to do? Absolutely we will do that work but I will do it with the Ontario Medical Association. Spons. Not with the NDP leader. Order. The next question, the member for Niagara West. Thank you for the minister of energy. It's a question that I've been hearing a lot from workers and families in Niagara West and it's about this speaker. On April 1st we know that the federal Liberals supported by the NDP are going to be raising the carbon tax by 23 percent and we know that that this hike is going to hit virtually every aspect of our economy. It's going to hit home heating costs, it's going to hit the cost of gasoline and it's going to hit food prices, impacting some of the most vulnerable in our communities. And Speaker, what I've heard from my constituents is that the high cost of living is already hurting families across Ontario. We see that households are worried about whether or not they're going to be paying their heating bills or putting food on the table and yet we see a federal carbon tax under the Trudeau Liberals that is going up and up and up and up and it doesn't seem to end. So my question on behalf of my constituents to the minister of energy is why is it important that our government continue to take action to fight this job killing expensive tax? And to reply, the minister of energy. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the great member from Niagara for that question this morning. The carbon tax is having a huge impact on families at the gas tax, at the grocery counter, on inflation. That's affecting everything Mr. Speaker and as the member rightly points out two weeks from today on Easter Monday on April Fool's Day the federal government is going to be increasing the carbon tax again by a whopping 23 percent Mr. Speaker. What does that actually mean? It means for the average family members of that members riding in Niagara are going to be facing an extra $366 in carbon taxes just on their home heating bill Mr. Speaker. But as I mentioned it's going to drive up more than the cost of just the natural gas bill Mr. Speaker. It's going to drive up the cost of everything and we're opposing it Mr. Speaker. The NDP are actually opposing it. What are the Liberals doing? Supplementary question. Well thank you and my thanks to the minister I'm going to be sharing his response with my constituents because I've been hearing from those workers and those families who've expressed great concern with that massive spike that we're going to be seeing in the carbon tax on April 1st and I know that they're reassured to see that this is a government under the leadership of Premier Ford that is taking the federal government to task when it comes to increasing costs on hardworking families and I know most members in this legislature oppose that job killing tax but unfortunately it appears that not all members of the legislature do. We see that Bonnie Cromby and the Liberals continue to crusade in favor of a car job killing carbon tax. They want to saddle families with more money-grubbing policies every opportunity they get and so I think it's important that all of us continue to stand against this and I'm wondering if the minister could speak more about what our government is doing to ensure that we have affordability and more money in the pockets of the hardworking families in my riding. If he could explain what actions we're taking to fight the Justin Trudeau Liberals on this job killing carbon tax and stand up for the families of my riding in across Ontario. The minister of energy. Speaker we're cutting the gas tax we've cut the tolls we kept electricity costs flat we've introduced one fare in transport transit across the G.T.A.J. Mr. Speaker but but as Toronto Star and Trepid reporter Robert Benzy broke at 10.01 a.m. this morning on X the queen of the carbon tax Bonnie Cromby has said that she won't impose a new provincial carbon tax Mr. Speaker but what she didn't do Mr. Speaker is say that she's opposed to the federal carbon tax Mr. Speaker the one that's actually going to rise in two weeks from today Mr. Speaker by a whopping 23%. I see the liberal caucus is huddled here right now trying to figure out what they're going to do are they going to join us are they going to join the NDP or are they going to sit with the Green Party and their federal cousins and continue with the. Please take their seats order government side come to order and start the clock the next question the member for Niagara Falls my questions to the Premier we learned recently that pharmacists and workers at shoppers drug mart are under intense corporate pressure to perform medication reviews to increase their corporations profits in one week Ontario shoppers that is owned by Galen West and Law Laws Corporation made $1.4 million on reviews one pharmacy has seen 300% increase in reviews several pharmacists have serious ethical concerns about these corporation targets Speaker when will the Premier do more than just talk tough step in ensure patient care and transparency is a priority over his corporate buddies profits thank you Minister of Health your speaker as you know as soon as the issue was raised by a number of pharmacists the Ministry I asked the Ministry to do a review and of course now the Ontario Pharmacy Association is doing open houses and receiving feedback from pharmacists across Ontario but I also want to remind the member opposite that we have over 5000 pharmacies across Ontario more independence actually than brand franchises and they have been an incredible partner to ensure not only vaccine rollout and access in all communities across Ontario but also ensuring with expansion of scope of practice for pharmacists minor ailments no in January of 2023 we brought in changes to scope of practice for pharmacies and that has led to over 700,000 people who have gone to a pharmacist and treated minor ailments we are making a difference because we are empowering and all of our primary care practitioners all of our physicians all of the multi disciplinary teams that work in the health care sector to make sure that they are training and practicing at their highest scope and the supplementary question back to the Premier speaker this is not the first time we have seen this government put corporation profits before public good we seen it in an Ontario place staples service Ontario and obviously with the Greenbelt scandal now we are seeing the effects of the Conservative government and their corporate friends profiteering scheme in our health care system we know more corporation profits in health care means what worse patient care longer wait times less efficiency speaker when will the Premier say enough is enough stop the transfer of taxpayer dollars to private corporations like his friends at shoppers and stand up for a publicly funded publicly delivered not-for-profit health care system that we all need and deserve in the province of Ontario Minister of Health member opposite is suggesting that we should be taking over every single pharmacy in the province of Ontario these are business owners who are working in the health care field that are providing exceptional service for the people of Ontario 800,000 people who have access service in their community pharmacy since January of 2023 and the member opposite is what suggesting that the government should be taking over pharmacies come on can we start actually thinking about how convenience and care and access to care is an important piece of our health care system thank you the next question the member for Carlton he was your speaker for the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs animals and animal related agriculture are crucial to the economic stability of Ontario's rural and remote communities however service gaps in rural remote and northern communities are putting farmers and their operations at a disadvantage they create risks to farmers and their livestock as well as jeopardizing the security of food supply chain our government must continue to support Ontario's livestock farmers by increasing access to veterinary care and ensuring that support is available where it is needed speaker can the minister please tell this house how our government is expanding access to veterinarian services to apply the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs thank you much speaker and thank you to the member opposite she represents Carlton so well and i've seen firsthand how well she connects with her farming communities and i thank her for that and we're connecting with our pet owners and farming communities as well at the ministry and by introducing enhancing professional care for animals act we're moving forward with five key deliverables first and foremost for formalizing the scope of practice for vet techs veterinary technicians so that they can assist their veterinarians with the the services that are being asked for in their clinics we're also allowing the regulatory college to set requirements for continuing education that will be similar to other regulated professionals in addition to that we're streamlining the complaints process resolution so that people who have issues with with vets will have their voice heard but more importantly if necessary the vets will be cleared quickly response penalties for bad actors we're going to ensure there's greater public transparency and representation on the council but most importantly this legislation is reflecting what we've heard from over 300 stakeholders contributing thank you so much thank you and the supplementary question mr speaker and through you thank you to the minister for the response it's great to hear how our government is introducing measures that will improve access to veterinary services many regions across the province are experiencing a shortage of veterinarians who care for livestock and this shortage puts a strain on the entire agricultural system that is why it is essential our government implements measures to recruit and retain people in the veterinary profession we must continue to support our farmers and maintain a healthy safe and sustainable agri-food system through you speaker can the minister please explain how this bill will assist rural remote and northern communities and address veterinary shortages across the province thank you mr veyer culture food moral affairs i'm really proud of the work that we've done and i appreciate the support from key stakeholders like the ontario veterinary medical association the college of veterinarians and the ontario vet tech association you know when we were at their convention just a couple of weeks ago in hamilton 1200 vet techs were there at the magnitude of what we're working to achieve through this legislation was humbling when i saw tears when we talked about the importance of broadening so the scope of practice for vet tech so we're finally recognizing their their expertise and their training they've received they've been asking for this for years speaker and it's our government through the leadership of premier ford that's actually getting it done in addition to that we're working with the minister of colleges and universities to expand veterinary seats and this is something that has been badly needed and in addition to that i'm very pleased to say in re in response to the need for large animal veterinarians we've introduced an incentive program that will encourage recently reached recently graduated veterinarians to work in remote and northern communities where it's needed thank you the next question the member for sudbury speaker speaker the concerned government likes to pretend hallway medicine is a thing of the past but it can be used to happen right now on their watch and in subway it's even getting worse health science north was designed for 412 patients last month they set a record high with 621 this means even more patients that are staying in hallways and one of the reasons that admittances are so high is that without access to primary care many people are left to seek care in crowded emergency rooms it is vital vital that we clear the backlog by increasing access to family doctors because this will reduce the need for emergency visits my question speaker will the concerned government support the ndp motion to fix primary care shortage and put patients first well my question is why have the ndp members been consistently voting against capital expansions of hospitals in the province of Ontario expansions of primary care in the province of Ontario every single time we bring forward initiatives and investments that are going to improve access in your community you vote against them it is it is beyond beliefs frankly that the ndp motion that is calling for more administration isn't saying we support and and agree with a tripling of the primary care expansion from our original announcement when we made an in your health you know to suggest that 78 primary care expansions of multidisciplinary teams is not going to make a difference in the province of Ontario is response individuals living in an alternative reality and again I'll remind the members to make a promise to the chair supplementary question back to the member for Sudbury very much speaker i am talking about Sudbury Ontario at health science north we have some of the worst overcrowding and hospital occupancy rates in Ontario Joyce is a senior from Sudbury and while trying to recover from a near fatal scare she's put in a shower room for her state and this is not uncommon in my city no windows no tv a shower room her daughter reported that on numerous occasions complete strangers walk in unannounced trying to find a bathroom or a place to wash up Joyce's daughter said the nurses and psw's work so hard under their circumstances they're given and we're so kind to us the service is good it's the bed capacity that's the issue they really need to expand speaker this should not be acceptable to a conservative government my question when is meaningful investment going to come so people like Joyce can recover with dignity minister of health respectfully after decades of neglect under the ndp and the liberal governments we're getting it done hospital capital builds whether there are new hospitals expansions or renovations of existing facilities to make sure that we have the added capacity that we need in a growing population and speaker why can we do that why can we continue to invest in health and continue to expand the the health care budget because we have an economy where people want to live and grow their business in the province of Ontario when you have those opportunities you see expansions that can happen under Premier Ford's government we are making those investments 50 capital expansions in the province of Ontario there is more work to be done and it can all solve overnight after decades of neglect but we're getting the job done the next question the member for or the end well good morning mr speaker my questions for the premier mr speaker the premier often speaks about how important seniors are calling them the backbone of our province and i agree but once again his words are writing checks the actions of his government simply can't cash facing fee increases of up to a thousand dollars a month dozens if not hundreds of seniors living at the promenade retirement home in orleans are facing eviction or are being pressured to move shady bit shady business practices and poor consumer protection lack of government regulation on fee increases removal of rent control on new buildings have all led to a toxic environment undo anxiety stress and fear for the seniors losing their homes mr speaker how can the premier call seniors the backbone of our province when his government fails to offer even the most basic protections to help them age gracefully the minister of seniors and accessibility thank you for the question you know seniors have worked their whole lives to have a comfortable retirement home age well in their community our government has a step stepped in to provide relief but the opposition stands against it we create the seniors care at home tax credit to help seniors pay for home care they voted against it we invest $1 billion to home and community care and serves to fund 500 local organization providing care for seniors they voted against it the opposition should answer their constituents on why they are voting against all the support for seniors a supplementary question well thank you mr speaker i agree seniors have worked their entire lives to stay in their homes and stay in the community where the razor families and these families these seniors and orleans are being kicked out of their home away from their families away from the community where they they raise their families and are trying to grow old the owner of the promenade retirement home is the same developer in orleans who failed to build homes for three years holding on to deposits and then finally cancel those contracts and then immediately put the lots back on the market at an increased fee uh mr speaker now seniors living in his retirement home are subject to scared tactics enormous pressure to agree to massive fee increases some of which are a thousand dollars a month or more as the promenade as the seniors of the promenade are reporting unclear documentation from the provider incomplete information on what the fees are and are not and pressure to sign documents without full explanations the government continues to reward their friends and supporters while seniors in ontario are paying more as his friends record record profits from his friendship what will the premier say to these seniors and orleans who are being forced to leave their homes because of his government's failure to act once again to reply to minister of seniors and accessibility as a senior myself i want to let you know i take this personally and this premier takes it personally he understands how important it is to keep seniors safe in 2020 ontario invest 2.8 billion dollars to the keeping ontario's safe plan this investment during the pandemic injures ensure we would be prepared for future waves of COVID-19 we are ready and prepared for increased outbreaks and we are keeping seniors safe thank you the next question the member for new market aurora speaker and my question is for the minister of energy last fall the federal liberals finally recognize what our government has been saying for years the carbon tax is raising the price of everything after years of high energy costs the prime minister announced a pause on the carbon tax but only on home eating heating oil speaker for more than 97 percent of ontarians who rely on propane and natural gas to heat their homes this measure provides no relief and to make matters worse on April 1st the liberals are raising the carbon tax by 23 percent and this is ludicrous our government must continue to call on the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax once and for all speaker can the minister explain the impact this increase will have on ontario families to respond the minister of energy to the member from new market aurora for a great question this morning and once again i'm going to stand up in the legislature as i have for the last several months or actually a couple of years now and talked about the fact that the federal carbon tax imposed by justin trudeau and the liberals is driving up the cost of everything from gasoline to food mr speaker people are choosing between heating and eating in this country mr speaker and the huddle has broken over here the liberals are back on the line we still don't know exactly how they feel about the queen of the carbon tax bonnie crombie's position today she revealed it about 45 minutes ago that she won't be imposing a provincial carbon tax mr speaker but our question for the ontario liberal caucus because we know we've had members of that caucus stand up and say that people in ontario and people in canada are better off with the federal carbon tax than they would be without it what will they say today to justin trudeau and the federal liberals will they join us and ask you for them to scrap that tax speaker it's clear that the liberals and the ndp are out of touch when it comes to understanding the hardships that people of ontario are facing because of the carbon tax the carbon tax is increasing the cost of everything from home heating or groceries to everyday essentials unlike the opposition ndp and the independent liberals our government led by premier ford is focused on making life more affordable we have been speaking against this regressive tax from day one and we will continue to advocate for the people of ontario it's time for the federal government to reconsider their approach and act in the best interest of canadiens by eliminating the carbon tax speaker can the minister please explain how our government is trying to stop this terrible federal carbon tax minister of energy here as the member rightly pointed out the federal carbon tax is expected to rise another 23 percent in two weeks from today east or monday april fools day carbon tax day if you're a federal liberal and as the premier as premier ford said a couple of weeks ago when he was asked about the federal carbon tax he said if the federal government doesn't drop this tax now they're going to get annihilated in the next election well guess who woke up the queen of the carbon tax bonnie crombie she woke up in this morning at 10 o'clock 1 a.m on robert benzy's twitter feed he reported that bonnie crombie has said she will not be imposing a provincial carbon tax but she has fallen short she has fallen short will she stand with us well these liberals that are here the nine of them that are here mr speaker will they stand with us and will they stand with our friends in the ndp who are calling for an end to the federal carbon tax you all should stand up and join us this morning as we call for justin trudeau and the federal liberals to the next question the member for parkdale high park thank you speaker my questions to the minister of health 2.2 million ontarians don't have a family doctor and that number is going to double in two years according to the ontario medical association toronto alone is short 305 family doctors as a result we're seeing private family clinics charging annual subscription fee for care pop up across ontario under this minister's watch my question is what should ontarians in need of a family doctor but cannot afford to pay out of pocket do they should be excited about the 78 primary care multidisciplinary teams that have been announced in february and are now actively recruiting we've seen some of that information coming forward and it is literally game-changing for the people who have to date been unable to access primary care physicians in the province of ontario the multidisciplinary team where you are working together as a team not as independent clinicians makes a better patient experience and frankly it is what clinicians want to work with they want to be able to have the opportunity when they diagnose a patient with diabetes to be able to transfer them to another member of the team a dietitian perhaps to go over what that impact is on their lives the multidisciplinary response is something that is very well documented to be a proven success story which is why we've expanded them by 78 additional teams and the supplementary question thank you speaker the minister keeps repeating her talking points as we just heard but even she knows her plan isn't working the conservatives will have an opportunity today to vote on an NDP vote motion which proposes a practical solution that will address the problem by freeing up time for family doctors to take on more patients it is a solution proposed by doctors themselves will you support this plan so we can close the gap for people in ontario who desperately need a family doctor now the NDP members will also have an opportunity to vote on expansions i'm wondering if the member opposite will be expanding or voting in support of the Davenport Perth neighborhood and community health center or perhaps the parkdale queens west chc south riverdale chc those are concrete examples of expansions that are happening in your community if you want to support primary care expansion in the province of ontario support these votes thank you and the next question the member for kitchener conastoga my question is for the minister of transportation families in my riding of kitchener conastoga tell me over and over they need immediate relief from the costly carbon tax the same tax that the members opposite and their friends in ottawa want to keep hiking speaker at a time when many ontario households are struggling to pay for monthly necessities and put food on the table it is unfair to add an additional cost to their bills but the NDP and the liberals continue to ignore the needs of their constituents by supporting this punitive tax speaker our government must stand behind the hard-working individuals and families in our province and keep costs down speaker can the minister please tell this house what steps our government is taking to fight the carbon tax minister of transportation thank you very much mr speaker and the member for kitchener conastoga is absolutely right it's a shame that the NDP and liberals are supporting the federal carbon tax which is about to go up by 23 percent mr speaker i was proud to stand with a member from kitchener conastoga when we announce the expansion and getting shovels in the ground on highway seven it's unfortunate though that not only do the federal liberals want to spike the carbon tax by 23 percent they said they don't believe in building roads and bridges across this process country mr speaker one of the fastest growing provinces fastest growing regions like kitchener waterloo mr speaker we will always put drivers first put more money in their pockets whether it's fighting the carbon tax building more roads and highways this government is committed to getting it done for the people of Ontario and we thank that member for his advocacy and making sure we fight the carbon tax and the 23 increase on april first supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that response once again the federal liberal government and their NDP friends will raise the carbon tax next month this time by 23 percent and i might add that's higher than their approval ratings speaker they don't have a plan to build infrastructure they don't have a plan for transit and they don't have a plan to bring down the cost of living they are too focused on how to increase taxes for families and businesses life is already expensive for the hardworking people of our province it is essential that our government continues to call in the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax completely speaker while making life more affordable for ontarians speaker can the minister please share what our government is doing to protect the uh to protect the people of this province from the pocket picking carbon tax policy minister transportation totally right mr speaker we're going to fight the carbon tax every step of the lane we're going to do whatever we can to make sure they don't increase it by 23 percent on april first mr speaker thanks to the members of advocacy this government has done a lot for drivers mr speaker whether it's fight the carbon tax or take 10 cents a liter off uh uh gasoline so that families when they're taking their kids to school they're taking their kids to soccer practice hockey practice they don't get punished for driving mr speaker this government is about putting drivers first it's also mr speaker about making sure that we put more money in their pockets like saving 125 dollars per car or truck on license plate renewal fees mr speaker that is something this government committed to put that money back into the pockets of hardworking families across this problem but that's not it mr speaker do they get it done act any future government wants to impose a carbon tax will have to take you to the people through a referendum mr speaker our government will do anything and everything we can to ensure money stays with families thank you the next question the member from london west thank you very much speaker my question is to the premier speaker gloria moved to london west in 2021 and has an autoimmune disease for the last three years she has been registered with health care connect all well desperately searching for a doctor to help her manage her condition she told me quote it shocks everyone i know when i tell them i don't have a doctor speaker what advice does the premier have for the more than 65 000 londoners like gloria who feel hopeless about ever being able to access primary care thank you speaker you know gloria's story is frankly the exact reason why we have seen what happens when you don't ensure that you have sufficient health human resources when you cut seats in medical schools whether it was 10 under bob ray's government or 50 medical seats under the previous liberal government that's what happens you have a constricted supply supply and we're changing that we are rebuilding the system to make sure that for decades to come we have sufficient individuals who we know want to practice in the health care field in the province of entera and now we we're expanding with medical schools in brampton and in scarborough you know speaker in september of 2025 response we will have medical students starting to train in brampton for the first time thank you very much speaker this government has had five years to fix this problem they knew the crisis was coming and the crisis is here speaker susan also has a rare auto immune disease she lives in london west and she was informed three months ago that her family doctor was closing his practice at the end of march without another doctor to take over he advised his patients to contact health care connect when susan called to register she was told she must first de roster with her current doctor even though he was still practicing for three months forcing susan to leave her doctor early then go potentially years without another doctor has susan feeling angry helpless and very very worried about her health speaker what advice does the premier have for londoners like susan minister of health i will say once again that will the member opposite let the constituent know that the tems valley family health team is expanding in both london and woodstock will the member opposite and share with her constituents that these 78 expansions are incurring across ontario including in the london region and in london the city of so we will make those investments and i hope the member opposite is not only sharing those expansions with her constituents who clearly want to be connected with the primary care multidisciplinary team but also support these in a vote in the chamber so that they she can show her constituents that she is also on board and on side to expand primary care in the province of ontario thank you peter burl co-author thank you speaker speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry the forestry industry is a major driver of our economy and generates billions in revenue each year with an abundant supply of forest biomass products in our province it's of critical importance that we support this emerging industry and its innovations but speaker the federal carbon tax affects our widespread creating delays and financial hardship that negatively impact ontario's growth and economic prosperity our government must continue to do everything we can to support job growth and attract investment to our forestry industry speaker can the minister please share how our government is strengthening the forestry sector without introducing punitive taxes here here minister of natural resources and forestry thank you very much speaker thank you very much to the member from peter burl co-author for the question i've seen the shoes they they are beautiful uh i was at timmits recently speaker uh to make a great announcement and we were at milson forestry services second generation business in timmits to announce a 60 million dollar investment in our biomass plan and that's on top of the 20 million dollars we've already invested so 80 million dollars invested in biomass and forestry in ontario and when you make investments like that what you're doing is creating opportunity and milson forestry service uh taking advantage of that opportunity with 500 000 dollars to create a heat recovery system allowing that second generation company to heat one of its buildings and sell some of the compost why are they doing that mr speaker well uh jenny milson owner of the company said the federal carbon taxes had a significant impact on milson's response operations we're supporting business mr speaker the members opposite only know how to tax small business we're always going to support those small businesses and the supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you to minister for his response through sharing that our government is working to put our forestry sector at the forefront of economic opportunities and i'd like to point out that it is impossible to build a house in ontario without using wood so we need to be supporting our forestry industry if we're going to meet the housing targets under the previous liberal government supported by the ndp the potential of our forestry sector was unrecognized and untapped what's worse the federal liberals are now punishing the forestry businesses with an unfair and unnecessary tax companies in ontario especially those in rural remote and northern communities are already struggling every day to stay competitive due to many fiscal pressures in this time of economic and affordability uncertainty let's not tax ontarians more speaker can the minister please share how our government is protecting forestry businesses from the negative impacts of the federal carbon tax well thank you speaker uh you know for 15 years the the liberal government showed that they can't be trusted to support business in ontario and for the lifetime of this government we've shown that we support business in ontario every single day and that carbon tax that terrible carbon tax is working against renewable resource projects and getting them off the ground it's punishing the forestry business our government knows better we're going to continue to make those smart investments to help job creators help workers help grow our economy and bring prosperity to the province of ontario and i'll just go back to mills and forestry services for a second again a great second generation family business supporting our forestry sector this investment that will support their business while reducing forest by products meanwhile that little carbon tax just taking money out of their pockets they said it's making it harder to do business you know when it comes to the carbon tax mr spawner it's the same old song the liberals tax your wallet till the money it's all gone next question remember for hamilton west thank you very much uh my question this morning is for the premier hamilton has a shortage of 114 doctors which is one of the highest shortages in the province currently 60 000 people don't have a family doctor in hamilton in two years that number shockingly is expected to double right now family doctors spend 40 percent of their time doing paperwork and administrative tasks instead of caring for and seeing their patients this afternoon we will be debating our opposition day motion that will propose clear solutions to this burden on our healthcare system my question will you support our opposition day motion or will you continue to force doctors to spend their time on unnecessary paperwork instead of treating patients premier well i'll tell the ndp uh solutions is not supporting residencies propped up by the liberals you cut 50 seats what we're doing we're adding 260 undergraduate seats 449 postgraduate seats i just want to ask the member why did you vote on hiring 10 500 doctors that we've attracted we created that condition we created the conditions to attract 80 000 80 000 nurses you voted against it you voted against the expansion of hospitals including the money that we gave big master in your own area you voted against it so how can you stand up and say you have a plan your plan is to cut nurses that you did with conjunction with the ndp you fired 160 nurses under your leadership leadership we've registered 80 000 new nurses that's the difference between your plan and our plan our plan is to remind the members to please make their comments through the chair supplementary question thank you speaker i just would like to remind the premier that i will always stand up for the people of hamilton west ancaster dundas and i don't get a lesson from the premier order but instead of fixing the problem that i'm discussing your government premier is making this problem worse by shockingly enough allowing for-profit companies like shoppers drug mart to profit from unfulicited meds checks calls imagine for-profit health care shoppers make 75 dollars for a phone call while our doctors are forced to sign off our doctors have to sign order without compensation so this is insulting to our already burned out overworked group of family doctors in ontario not to mention hamilton so my question to the premier why are you forcing family doctors to do paperwork for mega corporations like shoppers drug mart instead of treating and seeing their patients last the members to make their comments through the chair to reply minister of health thank you speaker you know i i've looked at the upvote day motion for the ndp and i have to say it concerns me that they are suggesting that the ontario medical association is not the appropriate place to make sure that we work collaboratively with them on paperwork and ensuring that they are in front of patients you know when i see the expansions that are happening in hamilton and across your region what are you telling your constituents when i see that the greater hamilton health network and primary care stakeholder council has a new primary care multi-disciplinary team as a result of february's announcement those are on the ground impacts that will make a difference in your community and communities across ontario we need to ensure that everyone who wants a primary care physician has the opportunity to do that and the only way we can do that is through expansion of medical seats expansion of all thank you thank you the next question the member for thunder bay atacoka thank you speaker my question is for the associate minister of transportation at a time of high costs and high interest rates it's never been more important to implement measures that make life more affordable for ontarians but speaker the federal carbon tax continues to punish the hardworking people of this province i've heard from families and farmers in the two writings of thunder bay about how much this unnecessary tax is costing them daily they are looking to our government for solutions that will make life easier and keep costs down that's why we must continue to call on the federal liberals to cut the carbon tax and provide real financial relief for ontarians speaker can the associate minister highlight what this government is doing to make life more affordable for ontario families associate minister of transportation and thank you to the member from thunder bay atacocan for his continued support in working hard to save people of ontario thank you speaker everyone knows that the federal government is failing us with the continued increase in carbon tax since 2018 under the leadership of premier fort our government has worked hard to end this irrelevant fees that are costing individuals and their families mr speaker farmers rural communities are suffering the cost of food energy transportation continue to rise mr speaker with gas gas price going up 17 cents per leader mr speaker under this government under this premier we are working hard to cut carbon tax and make life and transit more affordable by eliminating 12 on 412 for 18 eliminating license sticker fees and eliminating double fare mr speaker thank you supplementary question member for thunder bay atacan thank you speaker and thank you to the associate minister for his response it's great to know that our government is taking action to help reduce the impact of the carbon tax speaker ontarians need financial relief now more than ever this punitive tax is making fuel and groceries more expensive forcing ontario families to stretch their household budgets at a time when many people in this province are already struggling with inflation they should not have to pay more taxes unlike the opposition our government will continue to advocate for ontarians that's why we stand against the ndp and liberal support of the carbon tax speaker can the associate minister highlight the negative effects the carbon tax has on rural and northern communities the associate minister of transportation thank you to that member for that question rural ontario is home to 2.5 million people and the federal government have immensely let these communities down propane bills are doubling which only heightens the importance of getting natural gas to these rural and developing communities this carbon tax is hiking these bills mr speaker and making it harder for communities in the north to save money speaker we are calling on the federal government to acknowledge the pain this is causing the countless people in ontario and act on it mr speaker it is time to wake up smell the coffee and cut this carbon tax thank you that concludes our question period for this morning pursuant to standing order 36a the member for orleans has given notice of dissatisfaction with the answer to their question given by the minister for seniors and accessibility regarding retirement home fee increases and this matter will be debated tomorrow following private members public business next we have a deferred vote on private members notice of motion number 81 calling the members this is a five-minute bell