My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. My office has been overrun with emails from farmers from across Ontario who are very concerned with Bill 97 and the provincial planning statement.

Speaker, members opposite must be getting the same message, because yesterday, in this House, the Premier seemed to be backing down. I guess the question remains: How do we go from zero severances to three per farm? This government’s preoccupation with building houses is clouding judgment as this proposed policy puts over 510,000 acres of Ontario farmland in jeopardy, and in Oxford county, they’ve concluded in a recent report that 10% of its prime agricultural land could be lost forever. Farmers don’t want to hear how important it is to build these houses. They see the value in one succession planning lot, but three?

Speaker, through you to the minister: What was the significance of the three lots to begin with, and how will this government proceed on this policy?

In the past few days, we hear this government backing down on the original proposal, but where will we land? A government in touch with rural Ontario would have known this was not a good idea to float in the first place. So with all due respect, farmers and the people of Ontario don’t need more time. They don’t need until August 6 to tell this government how they feel about this policy.

Speaker, through you to the minister: Will this government announce today that their trial balloon has been popped and will they back down on this policy?

Interjections.