 It is now time for Earl questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's loyal opposition Well speaker this question is for the Premier Recently through freedom of information requests the NDP has obtained nearly 4,000 pages of records from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing that discussed the Premier's infamous green belt grab The documents include emails that were forwarded to Ryan Amato the former chief of staff to the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing One thing that kept coming up in these documents speaker are several uses of the phrase G asterix or G star So my question to the Premier is does the Premier have any idea what that means or why it would be used in internal communications with Mr. Amato and the Minister's office Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker appreciate the question for the member opposite look I think I've addressed that on multiple occasions as the Integrity Commissioner speaker But what we're continuing to focus on is ensuring that we put in place the conditions that will help more homes be built across the province of Ontario Look we inherited a situation in the province of Ontario where the previous liberal government supported by the NDP frankly have put Obstacle after obstacle in the way of getting homes built those obstacles have led us to a housing crisis Which we have been Relentless in trying to get resolved now, Mr. Speaker during the time of the liberals You saw housing starts either decrease or or be level leveled below what was required Since we have come to office since we started removing those obstacles You're seeing year after year not only the highest level of purpose-built rental housing Ever in Ontario's history, but you're also seeing that housing starts have averaged up each and every year So we're going to continue to remove the obstacles that were put in the in the way By the previous liberal government and we're going to continue to build more homes for the people the province of Ontario The supplementary question No, no, I don't think it has been addressed actually And well speaker while this this g star g asterix or whatever could be a cute shorthand it carries a lot of significance here Because when we compared the original emails with those forwarded to mr. Amato, it was very obvious that g star meant green belt It means that a search though of mr. Amato's account using the term green belt Wasn't going to return those particular emails It means that replacing the word green belt with g star Is evidence of an intent to conceal like someone was trying to cover their tracks So my question back to the premier Was anyone directed to avoid or conceal references to the green belt in their written communications? So they could avoid being captured in a freedom of information request Very much be very luck as I just said the integrity commissioner has Issued a report on that and I think I've answered the question on numerous occasions But at the same time speaker it doesn't change the fact that we are faced with the situation in the province of ontario And frankly across the country in very many respects where we need to get more homes built We need to put in place the conditions that will see more homes built Especially in the province of ontario. Look, we inherited an absolute mess Not just a mess that led to a housing crisis a budgetary mess We must we inherited a mess that saw manufacturing leave the province of ontario and record levels It is no secret that when this government took office We want to remove those barriers and those barriers that we have been lifting have seen record Job creation across the province of ontario So more people setting up businesses in the province of ontario billions of dollars worth of economic investment Hundreds of thousands of people coming to this province for the hope and opportunity That this government has allowed to flourish across the province means more homes need to be built We'll remove the obstacles that the liberals put in the way and we'll get the job done The final supplementary So speaker In addition to g-star the government adopted the term special project to refer to the green belt grab The term is used at least 80 times just in the foy records that we've We've acquired Mr. Amato and patrick sackfield who i will remind folks watching is the premier's current chief of staff Exchanged multiple emails referring to this quote special project Including between their personal accounts According to the integrity commissioners report mr. Amato identified mr. Sackville as the quote decision maker in the premier's office for this project So i'm going back to the premier again hoping for an answer Did anyone in the premier's office direct others to avoid email or use code words when discussing the special project Of carving up the green belt and when is the premier going to be disclosing this to the rcmp? Thank you very much again speaker look as i said the integrity commissioner has Has issued a report i think i've answered the question on on numerous occasions But getting back to the the the facts as they stand in the province of ontario We inherited a situation in 2018 that saw ontario not only in a housing crisis, but in an economic crisis We were faced with a situation where we needed to balance the budget. We needed to reduce taxes We needed to Eliminate red tape that was stifling growth across the province of ontario now housing affordability isn't just about removing obstacles Mr. Speaker i can remove all the obstacles I can remove all the obstacles that i want mr. Speaker, but housing affordability also has to do with people's ability to order And the high interest rate high inflation policies of the federal government Are removing too many people from the ability to buy their first home from the ability to rent that home and mr Speaker on april first You will see again even more costs at the feet of the people of the province of ontario with another increase in the carbon tax The one housing affordability will remove obstacles help us keep taxes down so more people can afford those homes The next question and again the leader of the opposition You think you can hide but you cannot hide from this You cannot hide from this So speaker back to the premier the reason this is important is because it is part of a growing mountain of evidence That the government has deliberately tried to cover up the details of its eight billion dollar green belt grab last year The auditor general uncovered evidence that government officials had inappropriately used personal email accounts and devices when discussing the green belt grab today's foi Shows more of the same between mr. Amato and mr. Sackville in the premier's office So back to the premier again Is it standard operating procedure to have staff use personal devices and accounts when discussing the special project? known internally as g-star Minister mr. Fullfair is in housing thank you as I said and I uh, you know The integrity commissioners issued report the auditor general has issued a report This government has acted on a public policy a decision that was not supported by the people order But what we are doing, mr. Speaker what we have been doing since day one is focusing on rebuilding the province of ontario That was left amassed by the previous liberal government Supported by the ndp. We had the highest overregulated economy In canada And now mr. Speaker we have removed those obstacles We removed the unnecessary red tape and regulation and the minister of economic development job creation and trade has attracted over 28 billion dollars worth of investment to the province of ontario where before Manufacturers were leaving ontario Now they are coming back and fighting to be part of this economy mr. Speaker that is what we are accomplishing Where before our students were failing in school now they are not only leading canada They are leading the world. We're putting more money back in the order of the people of the province of ontario But unfortunately the high inflation high spending high debt policies of the federal liberal government have led to a crisis That is seeing interest rates putting too many people out of the ability to buy their first home And before hamilton mountain will come to order The supplementary question Speaker the stench of this scandal has seeped into everything this government touches That's the truth speaker the information and privacy commissioner has already warned the government I'll remind them about deleting emails and concealing information through the use of personal emails and personal devices After we uncovered that government officials were already doing that Deleting emails related to this massive government policy Using personal accounts or not Is contravention of the law So when the liberals did that Someone went to jail Someone went to jail So back to the premier. Why did your staff delete emails related to the green belt graph? Remind the leader of the opposition that uh when the liberals broke the law It was the ndp that kept them in power Which has led to the economic catastrophe As the province of ontario in 2018 mr. Speaker now We have moved on so many fronts to restore Ontario as the engine of canadian of the canadian economy Look, we're doing things that puts more money back in order for the people of ontario Look at what the minister associate minister of transportation has been able to accomplish with respect to one fair Now they talked about it a lot But it was never they were never able to get it done this government got it done That's about 1600 dollars in the pockets of the people uh of ontario Mr. Speaker, we are able to build subways You know why because we're focused on getting results for the people of the province of ontario Now they announced it a million times They kept announcing and announcing and announcing getting nothing done We're building hospitals in long-term response parts of the province that have never had them before mr. Speaker We are restoring ontario as the best place to live work invest and raise a family not only in canada But the entire world speaker Liberals went to jail because we found them out. That's right, you know And people people in ontario shouldn't have to use a code breaker to know what their government is up to right? so We know it wasn't just emails, right The premier has admitted to using his personal phone for government business. He says it all the time Every day and yet he refuses Refuses to share his phone records. Why? What is he hiding? brown envelopes coded messages Burner phone speaker at every turn it looks like the premier's office took deliberate steps To cover their tracks We're going to get to the bottom of it speaker We sure will or the rcmp will because this government is under criminal investigation But they could come clean right now And they might help themselves Speaker i want to ask the premier again When will he finally own up to his role in this scheme or do we have to wait for the rcmp? I thank you very much mr. Speaker like i think the leader of the opposition has to stop watching netflix Uh, uh, because you know what the people of the province of ontario focused on Member for hamilton mountain will come to order results for their children when they go to school This minister of education has not only delivered peace in our schools, but he's delivering a better quality of education and seen our students Imagine if our students not only leading canada, but leading north america. They're no longer discovering math They're learning math because of this minister of education Well at the same time this minister of long-term care is the most successful minister of long-term care bringing long-term care To parts of this province that have never had it before You know why mr. Speaker, you know why because when the liberals supported by the ndp were in power They built only six opposition come to order There are more long-term care beds being built in my own writing Then there were across the entire province under the liberals we're building roads the 4 13 in brampton You know why because it means more jobs and opportunity for the people of brampton Thank you speaker and my questions to the minister of transportation When the 407 was built there was a plan for it to be paid by 20 27 And then we would own it instead the conservatives sold it for a song the tolls have gone up about 300 And the 407 etr owns us the 99 year lease was highway robbery Actually people resent that the 407 tolls are out of control people want To get where they want to go and this government could save people time Make the 401 safer and improve the flow of goods We propose a solution to help and this government voted against it So my question is why isn't the government willing to talk about the 407 and toll relief Mr. Speaker once again, we know what this is all about. It's about their campaign to stop highway 4 13 And we will not listen to them The people of the province elected us to build highway 4 13 In fact, they lost three members over being on the wrong side of that. Mr. Speaker Everything that this government has done under the leadership of premier fort has been put more money back into the Hardworking families of this province whether it's 10 cents a leader on gas tax, mr. Speaker whether it's removing tolls on 4 12 4 18 Which that member? Voted order when this premier put that forward mr. Speaker or whether it's removing 125 dollars Valtag fees from each car or truck that an individual owns in this province mr. Speaker and on top of that We are fighting against the 23 increase of the carbon tax that's coming on april 1st I hope that member also raises her voice to the federal members that she knows and her counterparts to make sure We keep more money in the pockets of hardworking families in ontario Thank you speaker the 407 is an existing highway We are barely using and I introduced my private members bill to remove tolls from the 4 12 and the 4 18 and the government Took four years to make it happen I'm suggesting we remove 407 truck tolls renegotiate the contract to better serve commuters But we'd like to be able to do it faster. Please no one wants to wait another four years So let's take the tolls off the trucks get the trucks off the 401 and make traffic better for everyone Let's renegotiate the 407 etr contract Everyone knows traffic congestion is already brutal, but we could do this now So my question is when will this conservative government be willing to do something about the 407 Mr. Speaker every single step this government has taken has been around building infrastructure in this province Whether that's our commitment to build highway 4 13 or invest 27 billion dollars in roads and highways across this province But do you know what mr. Speaker whether it's the liberals or ndp They don't believe in building roads or highways mr. Speaker in fact They're doubling down on comments from the federal environment minister who said there's no need to invest in any more roads or highways in canada Mr. Speaker my message to the both the liberals and ndp is get out of the bubble Come to cities like brampton come to cities like mississauga travel the streets and roads of all across this province whether it's in northern ontario southern ontario and listen to the drivers We need to build more infrastructure. We need to build the bradford bypass We need to build the highway 4 13 And as we do that we're going to continue to fight against punishing policies like the carbon tax Which are about to go by 23 on april first mr. Speaker We will continue to fight for hard-working families in this province and put more money back into their pockets The next question the member for new market aurora. Thank you speaker My question is for the minister of finance The carbon tax drives up the price of everything from filling up our cars and heating our homes in the winter It hurts our economy and punishes the hard-working people and businesses of our province Speaker at a time of high interest rates and high cost of living Ontarians need more financial relief Not another tax While our government has been speaking up against this punitive tax since day one The opposition ndp and independent liberals continue to ignore its harmful impacts Speaker ontarians deserve better from their elected officials Speaker can the minister tell this house what our government is doing to protect ontario families and From the high cost the liberal carbon tax has on gas Well, thank you, uh, speaker and thank you to the hard-working member from new market aurora for that great question No, mr. Speaker the independent liberals must think that money grows on trees Because their continued support for a carbon tax on ontarians makes no sense And somehow they continue to reject our great members motions to eliminate the carbon tax and save businesses And consumers money when shopping for the goods they need to live in Instead our government is standing up for the hard-working people of ontario day in and day out By stepping in cutting the gas tax and providing savings for people's and businesses across this province I look forward to that member and the independent liberals and the queen of the carbon tax Order against a new carbon tax and for a new bill now get it done act 2024 Leans come to order supplementary question Thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that response Speaker we hear it from everyone the carbon tax is simply not worth the cost Across ontario Households are struggling to make ends meet and businesses continue to face economic Uncertainty due to ongoing global supply chain challenges. They need support Not a tax that will cause unnecessary harm We know that the independent liberals refuse to stand up for their constituents And call on their federal counterparts to end the carbon tax Speaker our government will continue to lead by example and fight the carbon tax while keeping costs down for ontarians Speaker can the minister please explain how our government is supporting ontario businesses and families Minister from ants Thank you, mr. Speaker and to the great member for that question You know mr. Speaker for too long governments here and in ottawa have left ontarians behind Workers families and businesses have had enough and that's why they elected our government and our plan to get it done That's why our government. It's our government who's building infrastructure Who's building more and more in ontario and keeping costs down? Mr. Speaker, it's our government who is standing up to protect ontarians from any party or government making life unaffordable And it is this government who will continue to build ontario into the best place to heat your home Fill up your tank and buy your groceries. We're getting it done. Mr. Speaker The next question the member for london west. Thank you very much. Speaker my question is to the premier Speaker last week the federal immigration minister said that comments about the international student cap Made by the minister of colleges and universities were quote complete garbage Now we may never know what really happened between those two ministers But we do know that the cap was announced on january 22nd and it's now march 6th Meanwhile the application process for international students in this province is at a complete standstill Until the government makes a decision on how the cap will be allocated And how access station letters will be issued speaker How much longer do ontario colleges and universities have to wait? And to apply the minister of colleges and universities, thank you, mr. Speaker i'm surprised to hear the the ndp Defending justin shrewdo frankly and yes, I have expressed my dissatisfaction with the lack of consultation by the federal government But don't just just listen to me In fact, the bc premier who is an ndp premier My message for minister miller would be to work with the province on this a federal dictated cap could have profound And negative impacts From the ndp bc housing minister minister cologne The concern i have is they need to talk to the provinces on how they are going to do this Saying they're going to put a cap on might sound good and get them through a media cycle But these are people we are talking about new brunswick post-secondary education minister holder The cap is going to have a major challenge It's going to throw a major wrench into the whole recruitment side of things this year Penalized for their good work when it comes to recruiting enough students needs to help address the local labor market needs In fact the minister the federal minister did absolutely no consultation with any of the provinces and yes We are all dissatisfied with the result Thank you, speaker the cap is now in place this government should be trying to figure out how to move forward Speaker well, ontario drags its feet international students who want to study here are applying elsewhere to bc Where they have figured out a process or kebek or the uk or australia Every day that goes by without an announcement just increases the financial uncertainty and chaos for ontario colleges and universities Can the minister at least tell this house how the cap will be allocated? Will the government take into account the track record of individual institutions and their approval rates for international study visas And in the supports they provide to international students Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that question and we have been working directly with OUAC and OCAS who are the systems that are in place for colleges and universities for the attestation letter So we will be providing our response shortly But myself and many members of this house and I've spoke with the minister of small businesses The impact that we're going to see on our local economies and again not just from me But let's the I have a quote from the cfib president dan kelly The recent changes will have impact many small businesses who are grappling with labor shortages Particularly those in small and rural communities While it's understandable what government wants to put some limits in place It needs to be to move more carefully and consider implications for the whole economy the niger chamber of commerce Hugo chesshire if there is a sudden drop in the number of graduating students in these professions in these trains And then years down the line as that gap works down into the labor market There'll be another labor shortage to come there just won't be enough students Mr. Speaker, we will be looking forward to our response coming shortly. Thank you The next question the member for Perth well into Thank you speaker My question is to the great minister of energy The federal carbon tax is raising prices on everything from energy bills Groceries into everyday essentials And that's why this premier and our government fought this punitive tax all the way to the supreme court Our government will always fight for the taxpayer in ontario speaker Last fall the federal government chose to merely suspend the carbon tax on home heating oil A source of higher emissions utilized only by 2.5 percent of ontarians But the speaker the tax on natural gas which i use in 70 percent of ontarians use Is going to go up speaker It's unfair that the federal liberals and provincial liberals don't call their colleagues in ottawa are ignoring the burdens being placed on on most ontarians Speaker can the minister please tell this house why the federal government's selective exemption on the carbon tax is unfair Assistant and member for kitchens south husker, and I thank the member for his uh his very passionate question I know that he has a dedicated representative of his constituents Many of which include rural communities and farmers who are particularly impacted by this devastating tax We have heard time and time again in this house Just how damaging this is for greenhouse growers for small businesses for farmers for families and for the federal government To continue ignoring our pleas for a break to access tax Speaker there really is no answer for it. This is the most damaging thing that ontarians are currently facing And the fact that it's going up even higher is unconscionable. Thank you speaker Supplementary question Thank you speaker, and thank you to our great parliamentary assistant for their response Speaker home heating is not a luxury. It is a necessity in ontario However, many ontarians cannot afford to pick and choose What heating fuel they can use whether it's home heating oil or natural gas or other forms of gas like propane And they were here last week great propane members and businesses in my riding speaker Ontarians should not be unfairly forced to pay additional cost to stay warm during the winter months And it's unfortunate that the only party in this legislature that is focused on providing real relief to ontarians Is this party on this side in the missing middle over there speaker While the liberals and entity are content with the carbon tax going up on april 1st as you can hear speaker in this place Our government continues to keep us down for the people of ontario Can the parliamentary assistant please share the steps our government is taking to provide more affordability For home heating as a federal carbon tax skyrocket Parliamentary assistant Well, thank you, mr. Speaker, and I guess it takes two parliamentary assistants to be just as great as the minister So but I'd like to thank the member for that additional question Our government continues to make investments aim at keeping energy costs affordable for families In the past year alone. We announced the enhancement of the ontario electricity rebate ensuring stability and predictability in electricity bill That's going to save an average also more than 300 this year alone, mr. Speaker But that's not going to help if the opposition and federal government keep pushing a painful carbon tax We urge the federal government to join efforts in terminating the carbon tax on home heating for ontarians Just like they have done for a majority of people in atlantic canada It is imperative for the federal government to act promptly winter isn't over yet, sir And uh, folks are still paying for the electricity bill For the premier speaker paying for blood and plasma donations is banned in ontario But incredibly this government is allowing a spanish company to open a center in hamilton that will pay for plasma ontario's voluntary blood donations acts prohibits payment for blood This is a law which the minister herself or of health herself voted in favor of so my question to the premier Will you stand by and allow a for-profit plasma industry or will you enforce the law? The deputy premier and minister of health Um, I think it's important to remind the member opposite and everyone ontario continues to monitor health Canada's regulatory approach to drugs for rare diseases and how it can impact our communities Some of the changes outlined Mean that we have seen health canada and the canadian blood services Make some partnerships with others to ensure that we have critical plasma supply in the province of ontario There is no doubt that plasma supply need increases It is a critical part of what we need to do every time there are operations in the province of ontario Canada blood services has made some partnerships and we will watch to ensure that they follow all ontario regulatory pieces Supplementary question member for hamilton now that sounds like a no to enforcing the law Speaker back to the premier Almost 10 years ago to the day the headline of pay for plasma centers is back in the news Greifall this private for-profit company from spain has pinpointed it down to postal codes with the highest unemployment rates And the lowest income in the province They plan to set up a shop and pray on our most vulnerable by use of way of an exemption loop hole In a community where many are unhoused waiting in long food bank lines and struggling day to day to make ends meet Speaker does the premier think it's appropriate that people will be selling their blood to survive Canada blood services is a national not-for-profit charitable organization and is the only national manufacturer of biological products In canada We know that blood donations have unfortunately decreased in the last decade And canada blood services has worked a partnership With another supplier and all medical operators in ontario As always are required to comply with those ontario laws Look, we will monitor what canada blood services is doing But I do not want to lose fat and lose sight of the fact that donations of blood donations of plasma donations of organs are a critical part of our healthcare system And that voluntary piece is some of the work that canada blood services does. Thank you speaker The hamilton members that come to order The next question the member for orleads Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker my questions for the premier The premier says he wants judges who will be tougher During bail hearings and on this we can agree and that's why we worked with the government last year on bail reform But the premier also says he wants to abolish the independent judicial system in exchange for a politicized one with like-minded Judges one that's used and abused south of the border So he's appointed biased Unqualified political insiders notably his former deputy chief of staff to lead the panel that makes judicial recommendations But the problem with politicizing the judicial system, mr. Speaker is that the premier's former deputy chief of staff Is also a paid gun lobbyist for colt So mr. Speaker, how can we expect judges to get tougher on gun crime when the guy recommending them for the job? Is the guy who sells the guns? Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite has a reading comprehension Issue mr. Speaker because that is not what we have been saying mr. Speaker at all at all Now here's the thing mr. Speaker They continue to raise the same issue over and over because they don't want to talk about things Like the fact that the carbon tax is going up, mr. Speaker The only state of position of the liberal party on the carbon tax Is that it's good for people the member in the back's laughing, but she said it's good for people That was that was doubled down mr. Speaker by the NDP who said get over it, mr. Speaker Well, I'll tell you something mr. Speaker. There is some hope There is some hope they have a new leader and the new leader has never heard of the issue Order, so here's what she needs to know The carbon tax will have 23% on april the first and that should be job one mr. Speaker The supplementary question I'd like to thank the premier for that answer Next thing you know mr. Speaker. They're going to appoint a tobacco lobbyist to lead smoke-free ontario Look, look gun crime is no gun crime is no laughing matter police in ontario reported 4,791 violent gun crimes in 2022 That's 1000 more That's 1000 more than the previous year mr. Speaker Homicide by gun crime is at an all-time high The premier has nice catchphrases the premier has nice catchphrases like stop the crime and get tough on bail reform But he's asked the guy who sells the guns for advice Mr. Speaker, there is a violent gun crime in ontario every two hours How can we believe the premier's tough on crime stance when he's asked the guy who sells the guns to appoint the judges? Here we go again, mr. Speaker not doubling down tripling down quadrupling down quintupling down And i'm i'm proud of it. I'm proud to go out there and tell the people That has seen violence in their homes violence on the streets violence in our subways That we're going to get judges that are actually going to keep these criminals are in jail There isn't a person around the Toronto gta hasn't faced some sort of climb A gun to their heads in their homes hand over the keys kicking the doors Only to see mr. Speaker these Okay, I I I must Be able to hear the member who has the floor in this case. It's the premier I'm going to ask the member for a lot of us out the member for orleans to come to order I'm going to ask the minister of municipal affairs and housing to come to order If if this persists, I will start warning members. Do you hear me? Let's start the clock the premier has the floor Only to see these violent criminals mr. Speaker get out on bail and guess what they do the next day They're out on bail after our police officers put their lives on the line to arrest them They're back kicking in the doors again putting guns to people's heads stealing the cars Running trying to run over our police officers, but the liberals and ndp. They think that's fine Let's stay the status quo. I'll tell you one thing We aren't staying the status quo. We're going to get judges that are tough on The house will come to order The premier will come to order Member for Ottawa south will come to order Start the clock the next question The member for Ajax. Thank you. Speaker is waiting to exhale Speaker my question is for the minister of transportation The rise and cost of fuel is greatly impacted individuals and families in every corner of the province including mine Unfortunately at a time when ontarians are already struggling with rising inflation costs The federal liberals continue to rise to raise the carbon tax Speaker i've heard from logistics and distribution companies in my riding Who have been very vocal about the impact of the carbon tax on their bottom line and the truckers in their industry It is unacceptable that the federal government continues to punish truckers that drive ontarius economy forward with this regressive tax Speaker can the minister please tell the house how the carbon tax is horrid on ontario's trucking industry Minister of transportation Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member for Ajax for that question We know that the federal environment minister is completely out of touch with the realities of canadiens and especially ontarians Mr. Speaker We have called on him I have personally called on him to come drive on the 427 the 401 the 410 to see for himself The challenges our truckers and drivers are having across this province but ministers Mr. Speaker the minister he both spends more time flying around the world and airplanes trying to meet with Elites across the world rather than actually meeting with truckers that are driving every single day on our roads across this province to put food on the shelves to put Groceries on the shelves across this province They shouldn't have to worry about the rise of the cast of gas Mr. Speaker as they do their job by stating their husband for 15 to 20 000 dollars a current cost on a trucker A long-haul trucker On the current carbon tax today, that's about to go up by 23 on april 1st And I hope the members of office that join us in calling on the federal government to stop the carbon tax The supplementary question Thank you to the minister for that response We're all indebted to the dedicated workers in the trucking industry Who deliver essential goods that ontarius families and businesses rely on But speaker it is unfortunate that the impact of the carbon tax on the trucking industry Ultimately affects the consumers and the drivers We all force to pay for the additional costs to fuel that attracts transport the essential items for our everyday living That's not fair speaker our government hears these concerns day after day And that is why we will not stop until this tax is scrapped Speaker can the ministers please explain further why the carbon tax must be eliminated to protect ontario's trucking industry The minister of transportation Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker that member is absolutely right that tax is not fair It punishes families it punishes truckers mr. Speaker as I said 10 to 15 to $20,000 a year for long haul Truckers on the cost of the carbon tax We know that it's going up 23 on april 1st and that's going to impact truckers But it's also going to impact drivers and families all across ontario, mr. Speaker As this government has committed to putting more money back into the pockets of families across this province The federal carbon tax will increase by 23 percent. Mr. Speaker that is unacceptable We're always looking at ways to make sure we put more money back into your pockets Whether it's reducing the gas tax by 10 cents, whether it's making sure we reduce or get eliminate the the valve tag $120 saving per car or truck for families across this province We're going to continue to urge both the liberals and ndp to call on their federal counterparts and stop The carbon tax on april 1st Thank you the next question the member for university rose You speaker my question is to the premier Ontario can now find landlords that illegally evict up to $250,000, but it never does A toronto star analysis found that the rental housing enforcement unit and the landlord tenant board Issues very small fines to guilty landlords Finds the landlord can quickly recoup by hiking the rent on the next tenant My question is to the premier will this government start enforcing its own illegal eviction laws Attorney general thank you, mr. Speaker I'm wondering if the member is asking if we will pierce the independence of the landlord tenant board adjudicators, mr. Speaker You know mr. Speaker. I'm not sure. I'm hearing an inconsistency. I'm not quite sure what direction they want us to take In terms of independence of of adjudicators and the enforcement of orders, mr. Speaker For us to reach in and make the adjudicators do something now that would be a question mr Speaker and that would be something that we would have to discuss so mr. Speaker I'd like clarification if I could in the second question Back to the premier it is the government's job to enforce its own laws stop trying to pass the buck Protection laws are useless if they're not enforced. We have presented practical solutions to this government to help renters stay housed We have introduced amendments in committee. We have introduced bills in this legislature When will this government start taking effective action and do its job? And start enforcing its illegal eviction laws The attorney general And a lot of those laws go to court mr. Speaker and the judges make decisions about the laws Are they asking us to make adjudicators do things? Because just because we passed a law that we have the right to reach across that line and make adjudicators do things mr Speaker entirely inconsistent with the previous questions mr. Speaker now We are investing in the landlord tenant board. We have doubled the number of adjudicators. We've added more staff We've had more hearings than we've had intake mr. Speaker We are making sure that they're properly resourced and people are having a place to to have their hearings now Mr. Speaker, but tenants also need a place to live and if you take missis saga as an example where they only built 12 housing starts Last in the last term and the development charges are up 27 percent. Mr. Speaker Now that's a problem because there's no matter whether you have a hearing you wouldn't have a place to live mr. Speaker Thank you the next question the member for halderman norfolk Thank you. Speaker. My question is to the premier once again this morning There's been a lot of talk about like-minded appointments But while this house has had their eyes set on judicial appointments I've had mine set on the ontario land tribunal Just before christmas. I hit refresh on the public appointments secretary page and exactly as I had suspected The appointment of the former mayor of halderman county can hew it to the ontario land tribunal Keep in mind This is a tribunal meant to protect public good Speaker, I respectfully ask if the premier can articulate what skills in qualifications One must possess to be considered an appointee to the ol t Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i'm proud of the members that have been appointed to the to the ontario land tribunal It's a very important tribunal mr. Speaker, and you'll recall that we we combine five other tribunals to make the system More streamlined mr. Speaker the the individuals who apply through an open process They are evaluated by the chair of the tribunal mr. Speaker and recommendations come forward for appointment And I I don't want to speak on behalf of the chair who does the the interviews and does the recruitment because that's a hands-off process As you would expect it to be mr. Speaker But I can tell you any mayor of any municipality in this product Likely has some exposure to In terms of committee of adjustments and otherwise so through you mr. Speaker back to the member What disqualifies that member mr. Speaker? Order the supplementary question Thank you, speaker, and I'll answer that question because the member opposite said it's a very important tribunal So I'd expect the prime qualification would be to uphold the mandate of the ol t But interestingly enough in february 2022 Mr. Hewitt called on this government to dissolve the ontario land tribunal because it was slowing Development he then proposed a city of 40,000 at the nanny coke industrial park And then the premier appointed him the pc candidate and hauled them in norfolk But it gets worse A developer friend of the premier's plans to build a seasonal cottage development on agricultural land at low banks in haldeman county And just days before that developer is to appear before council He coincidentally cancels and says he'll take his chances at the ol t It's difficult not to conclude that the tribunal has been hijacked the hamilton spectator reported in 2022 That the ol t rules and favors of developers 97 of the time speaker through you to the premier Is the ol t in place to protect the public good or is it in place to accelerate development and feather the nest of Developers and friends of this government The attorney general it's gonna reply. Mr. Speaker. Thank you, mr. Speaker and and I do appreciate the question You know the excellent adjudicators that we have at the ol t and our other tribunals mr. Speaker You know, we're talking about somebody with an accomplished public career, mr. Speaker And and you know, we can go down the rabbit hole on any given on any given Scenario, but the important thing is this mr. Speaker We're getting the job done by having hearings that are fair equitable and timely mr. Speaker We have 1.5 million homes to build mr. Speaker And we want to make sure that Matters are moving through that tribunal and if you want to accuse us of meddling Because we're getting homes built mr. Speaker I will tell you there are rules and professionals in place to help get the job done and we will get those homes built mr. Speaker The opposition come to order Order The next question the member for susanne marie Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of indigenous affairs and northern development The carbon tax is essentially a tax on everything speaker It's on your groceries your gasoline your home heating and every other day-to-day essential For over a year now speaker the chiefs of ontario have been calling on the federal government to consult with them on the impact That this harmful tax is having on all of their communities Due to the federal government's failure to address the first nations concerns the chiefs of ontario filed For a judicial review into the application of the carbon tax in indigenous communities They have called this tax anti reconcilatory and anti reconciliatory and discriminatory Speaker can the minister please tell the house How this carbon tax is disproportionately impacting northern ontario communities Mr. Northern development and minister of indigenous affairs He did so with good reason. Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the honorable member For his question. We heard earlier this morning about a prime minister who backed up his words with policies Commitment and change so I got to take a prime minister at his word when he says we're walking the road of reconciliation In quotes and then says with respect to cost indigenous communities on affordability and supports you think he would do something Silence mr. Speaker the calls from first nations communities across the province But particularly from communities in the isolated parts of northern ontario who look at seven dollar loaves of wonderbread Mr. Speaker with a built-in cost for transportation of those goods has put the carbon tax front row Centre mr. Speaker and what did the federal government do? Well, they have pledged 0.7 Of total charge price to first nations communities ontario. We don't know where this is and how It will materialize mr. Speaker, but it's a small sliver a fraction of the costs at first nations communities are paying as a result of the carbon tax That's a supplementary question Thank you again now speaker and thank you to the minister for his response The carbon tax is making everything more expensive for ontarians Especially those of us in northern ontario And in unlike other parts of the province the north has very unique barriers when it comes to fuel cost speaker Instead of helping northern ontario foster economic growth And to reach our full potential the federal government is bringing one tax hike after another After another after another It is clear that neither the liberals nor the under NDP understand respect or care About the financial hardship that many individuals and families are going through Northern and indigenous communities should not be paying the price of this harmful and regressive tax Speaker can the minister please explain further Why the carbon tax has such detrimental effects on northern ontario and especially First nation communities Mr. Northern development Mr. Speaker for anybody who's visited or spent time in the isolated community should gain a deep appreciation For the costs that are associated with shipping goods Into those communities why our government took the extraordinary step to reduce the taxes off of Airline services that we're offering Shipping of goods and services to those communities mr. Speaker and in light of a difficult Winter road season mr. Speaker all season roads have become the topic mr. Speaker And since it'll be a little while before electric vehicles provide part of that transportation solution Not only communities on diesel but communities who need Transport this winter and winter is moving forward You think the federal government would remove the tar the carbon tax as a starting point And join the federal government in our discussions around all seasons roads response figure again radio silence This government is laser focused on challenging the federal government to reduce costs for our northern communities And it starts with scrapping the tax mr Next question remember for park dale high park. Thank you speaker my questions to the premier Small businesses have not fully recovered from the pandemic They are still struggling with inflation and economic uncertainty The government's website encourages small businesses to sign up for the digital mainstream grant program But this conservative government told the toronto association of business improvement area members That the funding for the program will be cancelled in three weeks Why is the government abandoning small businesses yet again? The associate minister for small business Thank you speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for the question The digital mainstream program was a phenomenal program Although brought in prior to the pandemic throughout the pandemic was key to helping many of our businesses Actually over 82,000 businesses get an online president about 24,000 businesses Star or expand their e-commerce journey over two years, but you know what's really exciting premier Sorry, speaker is the sudden concern for our small businesses by the members opposite So speaker we are talking to our stakeholders. We're engaging with them constantly But let me talk about some of the other wonderful support spots to our businesses the Digital competence center it connects companies with innovative digital solutions and helps SMEs Across all sectors implement new digital technologies the canada digital adoption program Thank you. Thank you The supplementary question the member for trauma center Yes, thank you very much speaker and back to the premier as someone who's owned several small businesses I know firsthand how hard it is to get a small business off the ground I launched my businesses before today's challenges of every fast technology change and costly inflation hikes Sonya scarf a small business owner my writing told me the digital mainstream program helps small businesses like ours Offset costs and build an online presence. This program is an extremely valuable asset to small businesses I can only praise their work now is not the time for the premier to pull the plug on digital mainstream funding And it's never time to abandon small businesses in Ontario Yes or no Will the premier reverse course listen to small business owners and maintain funding to keep the lights on for the digital mainstream program Thank you speaker and again to the member opposite for the question First I'd like to remind all members in this house that it was the opposition members that voted against the funding for the digital Main Street program But no surprise because they really really do not understand their small businesses But you know what what would have helped small businesses? Recently was where the federal government provided absolutely no reprieve for the c-below reprimands when I asked them to I asked everyone in this house to contact their federal members They did nothing state silent another area that could really help our small businesses Was if they pick up the phone talk to their federal cousins and ask them to swap the carbon tax because it hurts every single business And individual federal cousins and carbon crumbies liberals over there Silent they will do nothing pick up the phone. You can do that the next question remember for richmond hill Thank you speaker. My question is for the solicitor general We all know that carbon tax is making more expensive for ontario families and businesses Not only is it increasing the cost of goods, but it's also driving up costs of fuel and gasoline for everyone in our province What's more public safety services across the province are being impacted by the carbon tax as well Speaker our police services need more support and resources to protect our communities Not additional fuel costs because of the carbon tax Speaker can the solicitor general, please explain the negative effects of carbon tax on tax and on law enforcement and public safety agencies across ontario And to respond to solicitor general Well, thank you, mr. Speaker, and I want to thank my colleague for the question Ontarians have told us very clearly public safety means everything to them. And you know what mr. Speaker It's a top priority for our government led by premier for The carbon tax has significantly increased the cost of public safety And in a few weeks as we know the federal government will do it again and raise the carbon tax by 23 percent And it's affecting our firefighters and our police officers our special constables and our first responders People that are there to fight crime Every day thousands of vehicles are on the road that help keep our province safe And the police budgets have to cover the carbon tax on these cars that get fueled My message is simple the liberals across the way can call their friends in ottawa and say this is not fair Scrapped attack Thank you speaker and thank you to the solicitor general for the response It is concerning to hear that the carbon tax is affecting public safety efforts in ontario We with the media reports about the crime and legal illegal activities in many areas of our province Residents in my community of regimen hill are concerned about the financial impact of the carbon tax on the day-to-day work of our frontline police workers They are worried about how the carbon tax is placing on the strain of policing services As well as on the budget Speaker Our government must ensure police officers receive support as they carry out their duties Could the solicitor general provide further details about the government's initiatives to strengthen ontario's public safety in light of the carbon tax And the solicitor general Well, thank you, mr. Speaker And when people are being confronted by having their doors kicked in and their car stolen When people are being confronted by violent and repeat offenders on our streets We need more boots on the ground as soon as possible And when we look at what the carbon tax is doing for police service budgets The opp alone has spent almost four million dollars on carbon tax Four million dollars could have put 40 new boots on the ground and that's just the opp And when I look around this chamber and I think of the first nations police services and the other municipal police services across the province How many more boots on the ground could we have the carbon tax is regressive? It hits us everywhere It's hitting us on public safety. The liberals across the way can do the right thing Pick up the phone tell them cause the tax it is affecting our public safety Last year the minister of natural resources started this spring With a shortage of 50 crews to tackle forest fires Lacking preparedness and seeking help from across canada and mexico My question is simple Given the extreme lack of snow condition this year How many wildfire ranger crews do we need to be prepared for wildfires this season? And how many do we have as of right now? The minister of natural resources and forestry Oh, thank you, mr. Speaker and I'm glad the member opposite asked the question because recruitment is open right now for more Fire Rangers in Ontario. We've got many many great returning crews from last year We know that we'll have new recruits this year to supplement a Crew of those in the air those on the ground fighting fires keeping community safe keeping infrastructure safe Small communities all throughout the north indigenous communities incredibly important And i'm very very glad that the member is supporting recruitment and retention of our firefighters We want more to come into the fold So i'd encourage everybody to make sure that you're letting people know that recruitment is open right now And everyone is welcome to apply Thank you that concludes our question period for this morning