Thank you to the member for this very important question. He’s right: One of the greatest economic challenges we’re facing in Ontario today is that 300,000 jobs are going unfilled. I’m proud that, under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government has landed a truly historic deal with the federal government to double the number of economic immigrants we can select, to a minimum of 18,000 by 2025.

Speaker, this means that we can select more skilled trades workers, more software and IT workers and more health care workers like nurses and personal support workers. We’re tackling our labour shortage head-on and making it easier for employers to find the skilled workers they need to grow and build the future of Ontario.

All across our province there are in-demand and well-paying jobs waiting to be filled. Welcoming more immigrants with the skills we need is a win for workers, businesses and communities in every corner of Ontario.

Our government, through our first Working for Workers Act, made it illegal for regulators to require Canadian work experience. We are leading the way in Canada by eliminating this unfair and truly discriminatory barrier that far too many immigrants coming to Ontario face. The Professional Engineers of Ontario became the first regulator to remove their requirement for Canadian work experience. Every single regulator should follow their lead before our December deadline.

We need all hands on deck to build a brighter future for all of us. This change allows immigrants to start better jobs, earn bigger paycheques and build a better life for themselves and their families. Our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is levelling the playing field and bringing the Canadian dream within reach for more people.

My question is to the Minister of Labour. Windsor Salt workers from Unifor Locals 240 and 1959 have been on strike for 104 days. They’re fighting a US hedge fund company that wants to contract out their jobs and is using scab labour to prolong the labour dispute. The company is using union-busting tactics and refuses to bargain in good faith.

When will the minister stand up to this American hedge fund company, support these Unifor members as they fight union busting and the use of scab labour, and pass our anti-scab legislation?

Interjections.

I have a letter from the Minister of Labour in response to a petition supporting anti-scab labour legislation that my NDP colleagues and I tabled. The minister appears to support the use of scab labour in his response by stating that the use of replacement workers does not prevent those employees who are on a lawful strike or locked out from returning to their jobs as part of a return-to-work protocol at the conclusion of a labour dispute.

The minister knows that using scab labour undermines the collective bargaining process, prolongs labour disputes and raises serious safety concerns.

Again, I’ll state that these workers have been out for 104 days. I ask the minister this simple question once again: Will you support these workers and pass our anti-scab labour legislation, yes or no?