In Ontario, our farmers are the very best, and year after year, their yield is increasing. We have an ample supply of amazing, quality food.

But we need to accept facts for what they are—and that fact is, the main contributor of rising food costs in the province of Ontario and across Canada is the carbon tax.

Here are some examples.

I have an energy bill from a chicken farmer from east of Toronto. From March 2 to April 1, his federal carbon charge was 26% of his entire energy bill. This is unacceptable.

It’s that ripple effect across the food value chain that’s driving up the food price in Ontario—

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to share, through you to the member opposite, that we have taken very thoughtful approaches to how we look to increase housing opportunities—not only in intensifying in urban areas, but also along our rural roadways.

Earlier, this winter, the Premier and I met with dairy farmers from Elgin county, and we talked specifically about the importance of minimum distance separation. We also very much appreciate and respect the ag impact.

That’s why I’m pleased that our ministry worked so incredibly well, not only with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, but with the Premier’s office, to make sure that when we look to increase housing opportunities—primarily to address farmers’ requests, in terms of having an extra lot for their son or daughter or an employee to live close to the farm—we’re taking that into consideration. We’re going to be okay, because again, we’re thoughtful, and we’re respecting the MDS as well as ag impact.

Thank you to the member for her presentation. I know that most of your discussion, because you had limited time—sorry, through the Speaker; she had limited time to make her presentation—was about things that are relevant to the Toronto area. I hope that you will recognize that the vast majority of the geography in this province is not actually in Toronto; it is in the rural area.

I spent 20 years as a municipal representative in the rural area, and I can’t count the number of times that rural landowners—a.k.a. farmers—came to me with a challenge: that the provincial policy statement would specifically exclude them from being able to sever a lot to allow for a son or daughter to take it on, possibly leading to succession. This act starts to solve that. Will you admit that getting this ability is actually a good part of this bill?

I want to be clear, from the NDP side, we agree that we need to build 1.5 million homes. As a matter of fact, there’s enough land in the province of Ontario that we could actually build two million homes. Your own task force—not mine, not my colleagues’, but your own task force—was very clear that you could reach that goal without touching the greenbelt. Yet you continually stand up there for the last couple of hours that I’ve been here, defending your government on attacking the greenbelt.

You continue to talk about farmers and building homes on farmers’ land, but right now, today, right across the province of Ontario, guess what? We’re losing 319 acres a day of prime farmland. If you become a country or a province that can’t feed yourselves, you’re going to be in trouble. Take a look what happened with COVID when we had no PPE because it was all made offshore. Do you remember what happened? People died.

I’m currently standing up to a developer that wants to touch a heritage location in my riding so he can build homes.

So my question is very clear to you guys: Do you agree with Premier Ford that we should be building million-dollar homes on the greenbelt?