 I recognize the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. Today marks Equal Payday. It's the day when we mark how far into the next year women have to work to catch up to what most men had earned the previous year. When you're a racialized, indigenous, a member of the LGBTQ community, the wait for Equal Payday is even longer. Women of all age groups across the board earn less than men. So my question to the Premier is, will he commit to ensuring that every woman worker earns as much as her male counterparts? Mr. Labour Immigration Training and Skills Development. Thank you, Speaker. In short, yes. We'll continue to work to ensure that across Ontario as Speaker. I would say, to date, we've done a number of important things as a government to ensure women have equal opportunities to men and are paid equally. We have a Pay Equity Commissioner who we've been working very closely with, Katie Ward. Speaker, we've also taken a number of bold steps. I mean, to think that up until this Premier was elected, we virtually ignored 50% of the workforce in building the critical infrastructure we need, the hospitals, the schools, the bridges, everything we need in this province. And statistically, it's working. We now see a 30% increase in women registration in apprenticeships, Speaker. We see a 116% increase in the building trades, and we're going to keep working to ensure that every young girl across Ontario achieves their full potential, and then the supplementary, I'll turn it over to my colleague. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The supplementary question. Speaker, for more than 30 years, Pay Equity has been the law in Ontario. It's been this hard fought, and it was won by the activism of women from across this province. But for over a decade now, the gender wage ratio hasn't improved. Women still make 87 cents to the dollar, 87 cents to the dollar. Closing the gender pay gap and supporting women and gender diverse peoples' economic equality is a government responsibility. Women frequently work in jobs taking care of people in the community from the doctors and nurses and PSWs that keep our health care system going to the ECEs and our childcare centres that care for our children while we're at work. So will the Premier commit to properly funding the strong public services that support women's economic equality? The Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, our government will always stand up for pay equity in the workplace and for the women's right to be paid fairly for the work that she does. Employers cannot pay women less based on their gender, and we will continue to hold bad actors accountable, which is why we have the Pay Equity Commission, who's been working with us very closely to ensure we close that gap. Let's be real, Mr. Speaker, we can't go back to the failed policies of the Liberals supported by the NDP that chased away thousands of jobs. And you know what that did? It forced many women to be the sole income earner for homes. It forced many women on social assistance forcing the government to have to take care of them. This is why we changed the name of our ministry to social and economic opportunities because we believe in empowering women, because we believe that women can do the jobs that any man can do. And that's why we've invested billions in the Skills Development Program, the Investing Women's Program, the Women's Economics. We've done historic changes to our child care program, and we've closed the gap. We've seen more women working today than we have before, and we're going to continue to do this work. Thank you. And the final supplementary. Speaker, they say they stand up for it, but women still only make 87 cents on the dollar, right? If we don't have strong public services like affordable child care and health care and education, women will be left behind. If child care is so out of reach, you're not going to be able to climb the corporate ladder. If you're at home taking care of your aging parents, you can't log those extra hours to get that promotion. You know, here's what I've been thinking about lately, Speaker. Our mothers and our grandmothers, they fought so hard for these rights and services so that we and our daughters, my daughters, our granddaughters, all of us women in this chamber can have a chance. In an increasingly hostile environment for women, we cannot take those rights and services for granted. So what is the Premier's plan? To protect the rights and services that women have fought so hard for? Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity. Thank you, Speaker, and I agree that there's so much work that has been done to see women have to progress, and I appreciate the passion. And we share the same passion, and that's why if a woman chooses to go to work, we want to make sure we have the infrastructure in place to support that choice. That's also why we've been able to secure the largest portion of funding from the federal government out of any province in Canada through our Minister of Education to ensure that the portion of families who need childcare from a for-profit childcare service provider still can get the childcare they deserve. And, Mr. Speaker, we've seen that this has made an impact. More women with children aged 0 to 5 are working, and the first time we've had an increase since 1976. These are things to celebrate, and these are the things that we're doing in our government to make sure that we're bringing back our economy through our Minister of Economic Development, attracting many businesses back to Canada and Ontario so that women are able to be at the forefront of these beneficiaries. Thank you very much. The next question, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker, and I'm going to put my question back to the Premier. It's very simple. We believe people doing the same work should be paid the same regardless of their gender. In the healthcare system, expect the same. And that's why frontline healthcare workers belonging to SEIU and the Ontario Nurses Association have spent over a decade fighting for gender neutral wage under the Pay Equity Act. The Premier calls these working women heroes. Now, he loves to call them heroes, but he has done nothing to improve their wages or work with them on and under the Pay Equity Act. Instead, he has repeatedly taken them to court. Why is the Premier repeatedly taking hard-working women to court instead of giving them what they're owed? The Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity. Thank you, Mr Speaker. You know, there's always more that we can do in Ontario, but I have to say we are doing quite a bit. Like we heard, 30% increase of women in the trades. That's 110% increase of women in construction alone. The OECD Global Report on Pay Transparency and Pay Equity stated that Ontario's Pay Equity Act punches well above the global legislative weight, having one of the most rigorous applications. And Ontario was one of the first governments globally to articulate and legislate pay equity based on the foundational concept of equal pay for work of equal value. Mr Speaker, we are working to correct the historical under-evaluation of jobs typically held by women. And we're going to continue to do that, but also ensure that women can choose at any sector they want, like STEM, like the skilled trades. And we're getting it done. We're getting more women working in jobs that pay well so that they can take care of their family, keep themselves and their families safe. Thank you. Order. Supplementary question. Oh, Speaker, the minister's right. There always is something more we could do. We could stop trying to take them to court every five minutes. I'm going to go back to the Premier again, Speaker. The vast majority of long-term care and home care workers in this province are women, but the CEOs of the three largest nursing home corporations, all men, extended care, chart well, Sienna, linked hand in glove with this government, are massive corporations spending millions of dollars to take these women, their employees and members of SEIU and ONA to court to deny them pay equity. At the same time, those three companies alone are running a gravy train that has rolled out millions in executive compensation and over $500 million, Speaker, in shareholder profits. Question. And I want to say that was just since the pandemic, Speaker. All while these women are struggling to pay rent on equal payday, whose side is this government on? The millionaire fat cats who run profit from government contracts or the working women who simply want equal pay for equal work? The Associate Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. Microphones. Thank you, Speaker. Well, we are on the side of women. Women being in the driver's seat of their economy. To be in the C-suite or to work front line. And Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of what we're doing to ensure that we are fighting to see that women have any area that they want to get into. I have been able to go in down 10,000 feet in a mine. And guess who I found down there? I found women working down there. In a sector that has traditionally been male dominated. We are seeing more women taking on the brave step to say I can be down in those mines. I can be working in women in wood, which is another group that I have been able to meet. And you know what else, Mr. Speaker? We're ensuring that women have the opportunity to be in the leadership position. And we want to ensure that men will support women and give them the opportunity to take on the leadership position. So we hope that we know, actually we don't hope we know that we're going to see more women in these leadership positions than the men. Thank you very much. No supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Le Président. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question for the Premier. I need to repeat the things. Your friends extended care. She had a child. Well, they spend millions of dollars for in order to bring these people to the court and to make sure that these people do not get the salary that they deserve. This does not show the work they do. And in these companies, they give more than 500 millions to stakeholders. Today it is the equal pay day. So would the Premier make sure that these women will receive the pay they deserve for the work they provide? Again, the Associate Minister. Thank you, Speaker. You know, I've been so privileged to be able to meet with so many strong women across Ontario. And all women are saying the same things. We can do these jobs. We can see ourselves in the leadership positions, especially when I meet with the amazing women who are in the care industry, who are taking care of those when many of us are having to do other jobs. You know, I think the support and the fellowship that we have with women in every single sector, and especially our frontline workers, is unparamount. But I want to talk about the number of women on boards. I think our government has done some major things to ensure that we are seeing equal representation on boards. And we want to keep encouraging this trend. More women are sitting on boards than ever before. And when you have more women at the head, you have a 75% increase of the rest of the company having gender equity. These are the things that we're doing, Mr. Speaker. And we're working in these sectors to ensure that we are putting women in these leadership positions everywhere in the province. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the Member for Toronto St. Paul's. Thank you, Speaker. Today's equal payday, yet the gender pay gap continues to average at 32%. Black and Indigenous women, the gap is 42%. Arab women are the lowest paid women in Ontario's labour market, with a shocking 47% wage gap. That's 53 cents for every dollar a man makes. Ontario's public childcare, education, social and community service providers are mostly women, mainly racialized women. They're overworked, they're underpaid, and they're undervalued. Since 2018, this government has cut spending to community and social services by 12.1%, Speaker. Since 2022, Ontario has spent the least amount on social and community services than any province in our nation. My question is to the Premier. Question. Is this conservative government okay with short changing women? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A women's social and economic opportunity. Thank you, Speaker. You know, it surprised me, the member opposite is saying that, because in fact, we've increased the budget of $1.6 billion. Order. Another $600 million again this year. And you know, Mr. Speaker, a part of that is also ensuring, and actually at the forefront, is ensuring that we provide supports to see that women are getting the training in job readiness, and to see that women have the opportunity to get skills development in different sectors that pay very well. That is what the whole fifth pillar of Ontario stands focuses on. It focuses on ensuring that women are able to be in the driver's seat of their economic future. That is our commitment. Economic development, social and economic opportunities for women. And that's why, you know, a quote from the Chamber of Commerce released that, the good news is that women's wages have grown faster than men's in decades. And that's because of the work that we're doing in our government to make sure that we're building Ontario's economy. The supplementary question. Speaker, Ontario Pay Equity legislation passed over 30 years ago, yet it still remains a drop of water in a desert for many women. We need it fully actualized today. We said the Conservatives are preoccupied with funding cuts and privatization schemes, which we know will only further the gender wage gap. While this government's bill 149 requires some employers to publicly post pay ranges, it did nothing to ensure these ranges are actually realistic and aren't simply perpetuating the gender pay gap. The government continues to block the Pay Transparency Act 2018. My question on equal payday is back to the Premier. Today is equal payday. Will the Premier finally implement the Pay Transparency Act 2018 to help narrow the gender wage gap and increase women's economic liberation? Thank you, Premier. Members, will please take their seats. Again, to apply the Associate Minister. Thank you, Speaker. I'm actually quite baffled by the question, the member opposite. If we understand economics, a poor economy means women suffer. And if we actually look at what's happening today, we saw the federal Liberals supported by the Liberals in the House increase the carbon tax. You know who that impacts? That impacts women. Now we have so many women. Opposition come to order. Whether or not they're going to put their child in swimming lessons or to pay their hydro bill. Mr. Speaker, these we know a poor economy is what really impacts women. We saw when jobs were being chased away, women had to become the sole income earner for homes. That's terrible. And Mr. Speaker, that's why we've made the steps. Our Minister of Economic Development has attracted billions of dollars of new industry investments in Ontario. And no women are going to be the beneficiaries of that. Supporting fit women and supporting our economy means making sure that women are kept safe. We're going to continue to move forward and do what we're doing to build Ontario's economy. And women are at the forefront of that. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question. The member for Kitchener Conestoga. Thank you very much, Speaker. And my question is for the Minister of Energy. Ontario's carbon tax is one of the worst taxes this country has ever seen. It punishes families, small businesses, and it hurts Ontario's growth and economic progress. Speaker, this regressive tax is unnecessarily increasing the cost of everything's Ontarians need on a daily basis. We know that the people of Ontario deserve better, Speaker. And that's why our government continues to remain laser-focused on fighting the carbon tax and keeping costs down. But the Liberal members across the aisle and the carbon tax queen herself, Bonnie Cromby, are working against us, Speaker. And that is unacceptable. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the carbon tax is driving up the cost for everyday Ontarians? Member for Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke and Parliamentary Assistant. Member for Kitchener Conestoga for the question. And he's absolutely right. The carbon tax is driving up the cost of everything. That's just everything, including the food items we buy. Let's just take a little ride with the loaf of bread. The loaf of bread that you get at the grocery store. The grain farmers of Ontario expect to pay $2.7 billion in carbon tax by 2030, driving up the cost of grain. But it doesn't stop there. Businesses that mill the grain into flour and then turn that flour into bread pay a carbon tax on their operations. Then there's carbon taxes on the fuel that get it to the distribution centre and to the grocery store. The grocery store pays carbon tax on their operations, including their heating and their cooling and everything else. Speaker, it's a never-ending saga under these Liberals. The fact is, if the federal government would understand the damage that they're doing to people here in Ontario and all across Ontario, they would scrap the tax. The supplementary question. Thank you again, Speaker. And thank you to the Parliamentary Assistant for his response. The Parliamentary Assistant is right, Speaker. This tax is not working for the people. It is jacking up the price of everything and making life more difficult for hard-working Ontarians. The same old Liberal story is happening all over again, Speaker. Under the previous Liberal government, people in my riding of Kitchener Conestoga saw their electricity prices skyrocket, increasing by more than, get this, colleagues, $1,000 a year. Now they are supporting their federal body's tax grabs. And unlike the Liberals, our government has worked hard to make energy more affordable so that Ontario families don't have to choose between paying their electricity bills or putting food on the table, Speaker. Speaker, can the Minister please tell this House how our government is delivering the support Ontarians need as we continue to fight this job-killing, regressive carbon tax? The Parliamentary Assistant, the Minister of Energy. Thanks again to the supplementary question from the Member. Energy is a great subject for us to be talking about, not so much by the Liberals, because they could never figure it out. Speaker, we're doing everything we can to make energy affordable here in the province of Ontario so families and businesses can survive and businesses can invest in their operations. We're ensuring affordable home heating through our clean energy, clean home energy heating initiative and the natural gas expansion program. We're building the next generation of affordable nuclear energy in this province so we will have guaranteed energy for decades to come. Speaker, they failed in energy policy. They're failing in their approach to the carbon tax. We're going to continue to make life more affordable for the people of Ontario. The next question, the Member for Thunder Bay Superior North. Thank you, Speaker. Early childhood workers are asking when they will receive the provincial minimum wage increase promised for January 2024. There's been no communication from the government about this delay and now the Trillium is reporting that the increase won't take effect until June. This uncertainty has been incredibly difficult for workers to bear. The government talks about empowering women so why is the government short changing the lowest paid workers in this women-dominated industry? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Indeed, we are committed to making life more affordable for mothers and for women across the economy working with the minister. This government has cut fees historically by 50% for working families saving roughly $8,000 to $12,000 a year. We're also building 86,000 additional spaces in small towns and big cities to reduce the wait list to make it more accessible for families. With respect to the workers, we stand with them. It's why the government announced an over 19% increase in fees in wages which was opposed by members of opposite and not with sending that opposition. We're going to continue to lift wages every year. What we did in this deal is deliver wage parity with school board ECs that we're making more. We've now closed that gap. We've delivered more access, increased the rate of wages and we're reducing fees for Ontario families. I think workers would appreciate getting a date for the implementation of those wage increases. In my writing of Thunder Bay Superior North we are at risk of losing our only rural childcare program because of a lack of qualified early childhood educators. People in my writing are desperate especially those who work in rural who live in rural areas but work in Thunder Bay. They have no idea how they will be able to keep their jobs if they can't find childcare. The government loves to talk about construction workers but the reality is that in female dominated professions the reality is that female dominated professions and the care of children continues to be disrespected and underfunded. What is this government doing to raise pay rates? So we've heard they're going to raise them. Tell us when so that people can look forward to an increase in their paid packages. Minister of Education. Our government increased wages by nearly 20% for ECs. We appreciate their work. It's why we've increased the amount of spaces for them and rules for them in addition to the salary but Mr. Speaker, in addition to that we'll increase wages by $1 per hour per year over the course of this agreement. We've insured wage parity. We've now moved from one of the lowest levels to the median average in the province and we are now on pair with school boards in Ontario. But Mr. Speaker, in addition to that we're supporting career laddering to make sure that ECs who want to move up to become educators can do that too by providing free fees within their college program. We've cut red tape for the operator. We've cut fees for the parent. We're increasing wages for the worker. We're doing all of this without the support of the members opposite. Question to the member for Brampton West. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. The federal carbon tax is hurting people in my riding of Brampton West and across Ontario. It is driving up inflation and raising the price of everything from groceries and gas to home heating. Mr. Speaker, everyone has had enough of the carbon tax and everyone knows it is just the best grab. Unlike opposition NDP and independent liberals our government won't stop standing up for the people of this province. We'll continue to call on the federal government to put an end to this regressive measure. Mr. Speaker, can the minister please tell the House why the federal government must end this costly carbon tax? And to reply, the Minister of Finance. Well thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member from Brampton West for that very fine question. Interest rates and the newly high cost of the federal carbon tax have pushed up the cost for people right across this great province. We have heard from jurisdictions and leaders across the country and across the political spectrum that the carbon tax is making life more expensive. In fact Mr. Speaker, it seems the only ones left supporting this punitive tax are the federal liberals and of course the queen of the carbon tax. Yes, herself, Bonnie Cromby. Mr. Speaker, today the federal government releases their budget so we renew our call one more time. It's time for all parties and all governments to come together, let's scrap the tax and make life more affordable for the people of not just Ontario but all of Canada. The supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response. The carbon tax is not only driving up the gas bills but also the cost of food, housing and more. Hiking this punitive and regressive tax is unacceptable to each and every Ontario resident who is already seeing their hard earned dollars stretched further than ever before. Speaker, we know the NDP and the independent liberals won't stand up for the people of this province. They actually want to see the carbon tax triple by 2030. That's exactly why our government will continue to protect Ontario workers from the high cost of carbon tax and we urge the federal government to do the same. Speaker, can the minister please explain what our government is doing to keep costs down for Ontario families? And the minister of finance. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the hard working member for his question. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the carbon tax we know that Bonnie Cromby and the liberals have chosen to stand with the federal government over the hard working Ontarians all across the province. I was proud to stand beside the Premier to announce that we have extended the gas tax cut and are keeping costs down for the people of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, this historic cut will save Ontario households $320 and provide billions of savings across the province. And I think it's important that all members of this House join us in voting to make life more affordable for Ontarians. So Mr. Speaker, I call on the Ontario Liberals to vote for our 2024 budget as we bring down the cost for the people of Ontario. Thank you. The next question, the member for Sudbury. Thank you very much Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, the trades provide lucrative and secure employment for millions of Ontarians. Historically women have been underrepresented in these industries. This is a major wage gap. It's vital that we start early. We need to make dedicated efforts to recruit women into the trades and this means ongoing hands-on opportunities throughout high school and poor secondary. Over high schools and secondary schools have been consistently underfunded by success of liberal and conservative governments which has led to a dramatic decrease in the number of available shops and extreme shortage of qualified shop teachers. How does the government expect to recruit women into the trades Thank you Speaker. Speaker, I'm utterly perplexed by that question from that member who's voted against every measure that this government's put forward measures to increase school funding a massive capital increase which includes investments in the trade and shop class voting against the skills development fund the largest skills development fund in North America Speaker and what's that doing? That member and I had a conversation with one of those SDF projects in his riding that's working in partnerships with school boards that's making historic investments into the trades. You know who's benefiting? Indigenous youth. Women. We've seen a 30% increase in apprenticeship registration among women and a historic increase. Stats matter, the largest increase in apprenticeship registration last year. We'll take no lessons from the party opposite speaker and in fact we invite them to join us in making Ontario the best place for the family. And the supplementary question for London West. Thank you Speaker. My question again to the Premier when male students and female students go to post secondary education in Ontario they both pay the same tuition but when they graduate and go into the labour market the value of the credential for women is suddenly worth less. Graduate surveys two years after graduation shows that female grads in Ontario earn less than male grads across all levels of education and all fields of study. After five years the gap is even wider. Speaker why has this government done so little to close the gender pay gap for post secondary graduates. Minister of Labour. Thank you Speaker. Speaker again I would point to my colleague mention that the OECD's Global Report on Pay Transparency and Pay Equity stated that our act punches well above its global legislative weight speaker. And what are we doing in this province under the historic investments we've seen into Ontario we've brought back manufacturing in fact we've created more jobs than all US states combined. And Speaker you know who that benefits. Young women that I've spoken to from Ontario Tech, from Trent from Loiolist all graduating into jobs. Jobs in the nuclear sector providing the backbone power we need for the electric vehicles When I visited the north speaker I'm speaking to graduates from Queens University, working in our mining sector unlocking the critical minerals, engineers that we need to support our massive automotive investments. But the key thing is that at every step along the way the NDP has said no to critical minerals, no to no to hospitals, no to those investments that is making Ontario— The next question, the member for Beaches East York. This week we found out once again how short-sighted this government is. They are putting rural communities at risk by proposing to eliminate free well water testing in Ontario and close more than half of Ontario's public health labs. You do not cut corners on water quality. It is a human right and it is our job as leaders to protect Ontarians. Hello, Walkerton. Do we need a trip down memory lane? We should all remember the horrible tragedy that sickened over 2,000 people and killed seven because of neglect. Surely the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Affairs, who represents the beautiful town, would be fighting for the health and safety of her community and against this negligent proposal. The government is willing to risk the lives of Ontarians to save a buck. News flashed to the penny-pinchers out there. Walkerton costs priceless, precious lives and $155 million. My question to the Premier. Do you understand the importance of providing safe, clean, accessible water to the people of Ontario? Please Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Let me be as clear as I can possibly be. There is no one in the province of Ontario or in this legislature that believes that putting well water testing at risk is on the table. I want to be very clear. We have health funds, public health Ontario to provide testing services for individuals who rely on private drinking water systems to serve households. We all know that. The Ministry has not made any decisions about changes to the provincial well water testing program, including which laboratories conduct testing of water samples. But I want to be very clear. There has been no changes. People who want to get their well water tested and there are thousands across rural Ontario, including in my own writing, take those tests to their public health unit, they get tested, they get those results. That continues. Can that be a question? Well, you can imagine that we don't have a lot of faith in this government and your words don't match your actions. So we want to be proactive. The Supreme Leak Clever Public Works Commission at the City of Toronto from 1912 to 1945, that genius had incredible foresight. Order. Order. The initial disfiltration plant down in the beach was only half of its current leg, but he made sure the whole operation was scalable because he knew in a growing city's consumption of water was would invariably increase. I urge this government to look ahead. Think of the three million Ontarians who rely on well water. There should be no financial barrier to clean and safe water, especially in an affordability crisis. This premier has no problem spending millions on doubling the size of his office but cannot spend the money on clean water. My question to the premier, how do you justify raising your office budget to $6.9 million while cutting essential public health services like free well water testing? Caution the member on her choice of language and words to reply to the Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, let's talk about action. Included in the budget recently announced $1.8 billion for infrastructure across the province, 825 million of which will go to water infrastructure projects across the housing development because we are in a housing crisis, but of course for health and safety purposes as well. So if you want to talk action, why don't you preach what's in the budget? Thank you. Coming through the chair, the next question, the member for Flambeiro Vanda. Thank you and good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy. Our government, as you know, has been standing up for Ontario families and businesses and fighting the federal carbon tax. But that can't be said for all members in this house. As we know, the Liberals under the leadership of a woman who is now known as the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Cromby, continue to ignore constituents and stand behind the federal counterparts. But, Speaker, the hardworking people of this province deserve so, so much better. They deserve to have more affordability, and they want more money in their pockets. And, Speaker, that's exactly what our government is doing. Speaker, can the Minister please explain what actions our government is taking to mitigate this negative impact of the liberal carbon tax? That's free. I want to thank the great member from Flambeiro, Glanbrook, for that question. You know, Speaker, Christia Freeland would be more interested in photo ops getting a new pair of shoes than she is helping the people of Canada and Ontario. We're focused on relief for the people of Ontario. We are lowering the cutting the gas tax, cutting the tolls on 412 and 418. We're lowering keeping electricity costs down, but the federal government continues to work against us. The whopping 23 percent increase in the carbon tax on April 1st erases the price of everything, including the prices in grocery and shoe stores. Speaker, I'm asking and heating bills, and I'm asking the Liberal members on the other side to join us. To join us in telling your federal counterparts that carbon tax is punitive and is hurting families all across this province. Stand up with us. Ask them to scrap the tax. Make the comments through the chair. Supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the parliamentary assistant for his very passionate response. Speaker, too many people in Ontario are struggling with the rising cost of living. They can't pay their mortgage. They can't pay their rent. They're struggling to buy groceries to heat their homes. But, Speaker, the Liberal members in the legislature, under the leadership of a woman who loves the carbon tax, Bonnie Cromby, failed to acknowledge the devastating impact that this tax is having on so many people in Ontario. They would be happy to raise your taxes each and every year, just like Bonnie Cromby did. Our government is making life more affordable. Our government is the only group in this house that are fighting the federal government's unjust and unfair tax hike. Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please tell this house why it is time to scrap the carbon tax once and for all? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for the supplementary question. Our government has been working hard to make Ontario the best place for business by cutting taxes, reducing red tape, and expanding our use of clean energy. Everything is getting more expensive here in the province of Ontario because of the carbon tax. But there is an additional problem, Speaker. You see, in spite of what the federal government tells us, or tells the people, their intended effect of the carbon tax isn't working. In fact, it's noted that the emissions are not going down as a result of that. So the carbon tax isn't even doing what the federal government said it was going to do. So here you've got something that is not working, but it is succeeding in driving up the cost of everything in the province of Ontario, hurting families, hurting businesses. For goodness sake, Speaker, do they not understand it is time to scrap the carbon tax? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Caregivers are holding our health care system together through their tireless and selfless effort to serve the most vulnerable people in our community, the workers largely done by women. They are doing this at great personal and financial cost, and their workload only goes up as this government continues to underfund and privatize our health care system. The least we can do is provide a caregiver benefit, which will allow these heroes to get a bit of respite care, pay for the equipment they need, and provide some compensation for their time. The Ontario NDP has long fought for a caregiver benefit, and will be keeping this government's feet to the fire until we get caregivers what they deserve. Will the government commit today to a caregiver benefit, or will I have to continue to stand up in this place to convince this government to do the right thing? Mr. Fly, the Minister of Health. I'm happy to continuously stand up in this place and talk about the investments that we have made in health care in the province of Ontario. Just last month with our budget, some quick facts that I'm not sure the member opposite was paying attention to, $2 billion over three years to assist in home care and community care. Why? Because we need a health care system that protects the entire system. We're making those investments in capital infrastructure, over 50 capital builds in hospitals across Ontario, $50 billion of capital. But building the capital and the hospitals and the infrastructure is one piece. We also need to ensure that we have health human resources, which is why, of course, also in the announcement, York Medical School in the province of Ontario. Steep percent of those students will actually be studying to be primary care or family physicians. Those are the types of system investments we are making after years of neglect under the NDP and the Liberal governments. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question was on caregivers. Back to the Premier. Speaker, we know the incredible important role unpaid caregivers play in supporting our mums, our dads, our grandparents, our aunts, our uncles, and those who have a significant mental and physical disabilities in the province of Ontario. We know that more than half of the women in Canada, close to nine million women, perform caregiving work. But under the government, there are zero protections or benefits for unpaid caregivers, who make enormous personal and professional sacrifices to care for those in need and the ones we love. Speaker, when is this government going to do something to support unpaid caregivers in the province of Ontario, and please answer about caregivers? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Perhaps the member opposite doesn't understand the connection of when you expand home and community care, you are actually looking after the patient and their loved ones and their family members. You know, the finance minister made an investment in health care that was actually expedited in the fall economic statement, and again of course in the last month's budget, an additional $2 billion. Where is that going to go? Those are investments that are going into community that are assisting family members who want to care for their loved ones in their home, but they need that a little bit of extra help, and that's what those investments of home and community care are going to make an impact in our communities across Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. The next question, the member for Algoma, Manitoulou. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. The government's budget last month came as a big disappointment to people across my writing and also the 11 hospitals in Northern Ontario and across Algoma, Manitoulou. There was hope that after months of advocacy by the hospitals in Northern Ontario, the government would come to the table with an increase to the budgets that reflect the realities they face. The increase that this government offered does not come close to meeting the financial needs of hospitals in small, rural and remote Northern communities. Speaker, my question to the Minister, why does her government refuse to properly fund Northern hospitals to meet their needs? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Respectfully, the premise of the question doesn't work because if you look at the investments that we made in last year's fiscal, it was an average of 4% across the board in increases to annual operating dollars in our hospital sector. This year, in the last month's budget, again, an average of 4% increase in hospital annual operating. But that's not the only piece that we need to do. We have actually encouraged hospitals through things like an innovation fund to ensure that when they have ideas that are going to impact and improve quality of care in their communities, they have access to additional funds. And we have hospitals that have been able to utilize these particular programs to ensure that wait times for surgeries, wait times for diagnostic in their communities decrease. Look, we're going to make those investments after years of neglect. Response? But I would hope that the member opposite would look specifically at the investments that we are making in his community in primary care, in multi-disciplinary teams and see that there is change coming. Thank you. And the supplementary question. I'll go momentarily. Speaker, this one-size-fits-all solution just doesn't work and we continue to see a health care crisis in Northern Ontario. Hospitals serve geographically massive areas with limited access to resources and more complex delivery of care. The Auditor General's report on Northern health care recommended that the government implement a dedicated health care strategy for Northern Ontario. But it's nowhere in this budget. At a time when wait times are getting longer, emergency rooms are closing and more Northerners are losing access to primary care. The government cannot sit on their hands and do nothing. Minister, when will your government commit to a dedicated Northern Ontario health care strategy and end in equitable access to health care in Ontario? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. I'm going to give the member opposite some very specific examples because I think it's important for him to have those conversations in his community. We have had increases in internationally educated trained nurses. Thanks to our programs, we have already seen results. Learn and Stay grant program has now almost 5,000 students agreeing to work in under-service communities such as the North. A Learn and Stay program means that students who train in the North are far more likely to live and continue as clinicians in Northern Ontario. When we make expansions in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, it means that, again, as you train in Northern Ontario, as you do your residency in Northern Ontario, you are far more likely to continue to serve Northern Ontario. Those are the concrete specific examples that our government has been able to do under the leadership of Premier Ford to make sure that after years of neglect, we finally get it done in Northern Ontario. And the next question. The member for Tornhill. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. The federal Liberal government has been collecting billions of dollars in carbon tax for small businesses and has promised those small, same businesses that they would receive rebates. With 1.3 billion owed in rebates, we have yet to hear the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie, and her Liberal Party call on their federal buddies for a plan to pay Ontario businesses back. But, Speaker, it's not surprising considering her inaction during the recent carbon tax hike. While the Prime Minister and the Ontario Liberals bizarrely claim this damaging tax hike will benefit future generations, our government knows that Ontarians really need. What they really need is an end to this disastrous tax. Speaker, can the Associate Minister please explain how the carbon tax hike provides no environmental benefit but risks harming our economy? Will she tell us how it hurts future generations of Canadians? Let's go for small business. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the great member from Tornhill for such an important question facing our small businesses in Ontario. Speaker, from the start, this Premier and our government have never been fooled by this carbon tax cash grab. This carbon tax is not only punishing consumers but also punishing businesses that still haven't seen a penny in rebates. It's punishing our economy as well, Speaker. According to the Fraser Institute, this tax could shrink our economy by almost 2% and cause significant job losses. Speaker, I know the Ontario Liberals and NDP are fine with job losses. In fact, they set back as 300,000 jobs fled this province. But, Speaker, this Premier, our government, we've rebuilt our economy from the ground up so that small businesses, which make up 98% of all businesses, could see roaring growth and investment. Speaker, unlike the opposition Liberals and NDP, we won't stand by as the carbon tax constantly. Thank you. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Associate Minister for that response and for her positive work for the businesses across Ontario. Speaker, the Liberals in this legislature could not be more out of touch with the struggles of everyday Ontario business owners, despite estimates showing that every Ontario business is owed between $2,600 and nearly $7,000. The Liberals in this legislature think they're better off with this carbon tax. And when their leaders are asked if she would stand up for Ontario businesses to her federal counterparts, she said she was not going to tell the federal government how to do their job. That's not what Ontarians expect from their elected officials. So, Speaker, it's clear that the Ontario Liberals won't stand up for Ontarians. So, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Associate Minister, how is our government standing up for the job creators and the small businesses affected by this regressive carbon tax? Thank you again, Speaker, and of course to the great member from Thornhill. Our government will never stop standing up for Ontario's job creators and small businesses that are being crushed by this job-killing carbon tax. The anti-business realities of the Liberals carbon tax scheme are becoming clearer every single day. We've learned three things that completely shattered the Liberals' hollow claims about their carbon tax. One, it never actually been a revenue neutral for business. Two, there is no mechanism to return carbon tax money to small businesses. And three, as things stand, the vast majority of small businesses would still be excluded from rebates so much for them being better off as the opposition Liberals constantly claim. The hard truth is the federal carbon tax has been anti-small business nightmare from the very start. While the carbon tax carmbees and the Liberals aren't going to literally refuse to tell the federal government how to do their job while they're happy. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. And the next question, the member for London Fanshawe. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, we all know that access to affordable childcare is a huge determinant of a woman's labour participation. Affordable childcare in this province could add nearly 100,000 more women to the labour force, Ontario's labour force. Yet at every turn this government has neglected and underfunded the role out of affordable childcare in this province. Every space that is unopened due to the government's lack of funding formula or staff shortage due to low wage impacts a family, a mother looking to earn an equitable wage. Will the Premier commit to properly funding the childcare so that women who can work will be able to access equal pay in the childcare workforce? Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, more women are working today as a consequence of our government's commitments to reduce childcare fees after they exploded by 500% under the former Liberals. $50 a day and today under our progressive Conservative government it's at $23 on the way down to $10 a day. That is an achievement that makes a difference to supporting women and mothers and supporting more of them in the economy. We're going to keep doing this. We're going to keep producing fees even if new Democrats oppose our historic reduction. We're going to keep increasing spaces even if Liberals oppose our budgets which commit to 86,000 more spaces for the people of Ontario. And Mr. Speaker, we're going to keep increasing fees. A 19% increase in year one, a dollar per hour per year, every year thereafter that's a commitment to support our workers, our families, our economy. Let's do this. Let's keep cutting fees for the people of this province. Thank you, Speaker. My question is also to the Premier. In Ontario, caregiver jobs are predominantly filled by women in crucial sectors like healthcare, long-term care, education, developmental services and childcare. And those women are often primary caregivers for their own families, too. Yet we see a disheartening lack of progress in closing the gender pay gap. In fact, the government brings a legislation like the 124 to suppress the wages of those workers. Frankly, Speaker, women are tired of waiting. This government's failure on affordable childcare has resulted in limited spaces and long wait lists, which we know further disproportionately impacts women in the workforce. Speaker, when will this government get serious about closing the gender pay gap and begin building a childcare system where workers are paid fairly and the system is accessible and affordable for all women? Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, under the former Liberals, families had to choose between mortgages and going to work. We cut fees saving families $10,000 to $12,000 in Windsor. And the member of opposite from the new Democrats had the goal to vote against a 50% reduction. This is a member who opposed a 90% increase in ECs. This is a member who opposed 86,000 spaces with thousands of new spaces for Windsor-Essex families. Opposed to taking one position in the house, another position in Windsor. Why doesn't she stand up in her place and stand with affordable, accessible childcare for the people of Ontario? Leads, Grandville, Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Across the world, governments have taken a more active role in trying to secure investments that will strengthen their economy for decades to come. Since we took office under the leadership of Premier Ford, we've restored Ontario's competitiveness so that once again we can compete on that global stage. But with the federal government's carbon tax, they're putting all of our progress at risk. Their tax is driving up costs across the board at a time when workers and businesses are already grappling with inflationary pressures and higher interest rates. We've seen businesses and workers come into our province in massive numbers and now the federal Liberals want to push them out. Speaker, can the Minister explain how the federal liberal carbon tax is putting the economic progress we've made as a government at risk? Mr. of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Speaker, we've been talking about this carbon tax and what we've seen today is a fundamental difference between how Liberals and NDP raise revenue and how conservatives raise revenue. To raise revenue, the Liberals and the NDP raise taxes. That's the only thing they know how to do. That is their go-to solution. Raise taxes. But we have shown them that there is another way, Premier or Speaker, we've shown them there is a right way to raise taxes or to raise revenue. We've lowered taxes by 8 billion dollars. The Opposition will come to order. Government side will now come to order. I need to be able to hear the Minister answer the question. Some members are worse than others. Please start the clock. Minister of Economic Development. Thank you, Speaker. We have shown them the right way to raise revenue. We have lowered taxes by 8 billion dollars annually, creating 700,000 jobs. Revenue is up 64 billion dollars since we took office, and that is by decreasing taxes, Speaker. And the supplementary question. Speaker, back to the Minister. The people of Ontario and, quite frankly, the people across our country have been loud and clear in their opposition to the carbon tax. It doesn't matter where we are in the province. Everyone is telling us that the federal government needs to scrap the carbon tax. And we know the members opposite. They're hearing the same things in their riding. Yet, like their counterparts, they're not moving forward to scrap the tax. Listen, Bonnie Cromby or just like Justin Trudeau, they're all the same, right? They're out of touch. They're not listening to their constituents. Minister, please tell the House why it's so important that the federal government scraps that tax. Even David Dodge said so. Mr. Economic Development, job creation and trade. Speaker, when businesses are choosing where they should set up shop, they look for jurisdictions with low costs. When talented workers are deciding where they should work and live and start their families, they think about how much money they'll have in their pockets after tax. But with the carbon tax, the federal Liberals are making everything more expensive. The Liberals are jeopardizing the reputation Ontario has built as the best place to do business. And harming our ability, Speaker, to attract and retain the most talented workers who power our economy. We are doing our part building homes, cutting the gas tax, creating the conditions for businesses and workers to succeed. We need the Liberals to do their part now. Scrap this terrible tax today. Member for Perth Wellington has a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. I would like to introduce Judy and Rick for my great riding of Perth Wellington and Anne Marilyn as well, who's here from Toronto. It's an okay place. I'd also like to recognize Judy. She has worked in the member for Wellington Hulton Hills constituency office for 33 years, and I believe is most likely the longest serving staff to an MPP currently in Ontario. Welcome, please start. Thank you. You might be right about that. The member for Thunder Bay Superior has a point of order. I would also like to welcome Brian Cruz from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. Thank you. I conclude our question period for this morning pursuant to standing order 36A. The member for Beaches East York has given their notice of dissatisfaction with the answer to their question given by the Minister of Health regarding free well water testing this matter will be debated today following private members public business. There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.