Again, Mr. Speaker, it almost seems like there has been a conversion with the NDP. They now believe that we’re in a housing crisis and that we have to do something about it, despite the fact that for over 15 years they supported the Liberal Party, which put obstacle after obstacle after obstacle in the way of building those new homes. Now we’re hearing from the NDP that it’s getting more costly to live in different parts of the province of Ontario.

We started, again, back in 2018, reducing costs for people, cutting taxes for the people of the province of Ontario. They voted against every single one of those initiatives. We put real regulations in place to protect tenants across the province of Ontario. We have rent controls and we have more purpose-built rental housing being built in the province of Ontario than at any time over the last decade and a half.

What they can do, Mr. Speaker, if they want to go that extra mile for the people of the province of Ontario, they can call Jagmeet Singh in Ottawa and put on the table that the federal Liberals will do the right thing and pause a 14% increase in the carbon tax, which took place on—

Look, nobody believes the NDP’s now recent conversion, believing that we have to do better with the taxpayers’ money. Nobody believes that. Nobody believes the NDP when they say that they’re going to do more on public safety, because they always vote against it. Nobody believes the NDP all of a sudden has had a conversion that there’s a housing crisis and we have to do more to build homes across the province of Ontario. Nobody believes that, Mr. Speaker—unless they vote in favour of the budget; unless they vote in favour of Bill 60, which the Minister of Health has brought forward; unless they vote in favour of the red tape bill that we brought forward. Then, maybe, the people of the province of Ontario will start to believe what the—

We keep hearing this from the opposition: “During COVID, they had a fund.” Well, of course we had a fund, because unless the opposition had Nostradamus working on their side, none of us knew what COVID-19 was going to throw at us. We had to be able to respond quickly, and we did, despite the fact that they voted against increased funding for our hospital sector, despite the fact that they voted against tenants, despite the fact that they voted against a multitude of initiatives that helped us get through the pandemic better than any other jurisdiction in North America and, in fact, the world. They voted against it. We got it done, and now we’re moving—

We need more homes. Do you know why we need more homes? Because we’ve got thousands of people coming to the province of Ontario. Do you know why? Because we’ve taken the obstacles out of creating jobs and building wealth in the province of Ontario. Thousands of jobs are coming back to the province of Ontario, and billions of dollars of investment that left are now coming back, so we need those 200,000, and we need more.

I would say this to the opposition: Just a couple of days ago, supported by the NDP in Ottawa, the federal Liberals have decided to plant 400,000 trees on farmland across the GTA. I wonder if the member opposite would help us do the right thing and call Jagmeet Singh and say, “Don’t support the 400,000 trees that they want to build on farmland across the GTA.” It’s the wrong thing to do. It’s wrong for the people of the province of Ontario. We need more housing, and will you stand up for more—

I thank the member for the question. The violence that we are seeing on the TTC is unacceptable. Transit riders and transit workers deserve the right to feel safe as they’re working and riding on the TTC.

But, Mr. Speaker, we have been there for the TTC. For the last few years we’ve provided over a billion and a half dollars’ worth of funding. In the last year alone, through the Safe Restart phase 4 program, we provided almost $350 million to the TTC, and through our gas tax funding, over $180 million. These are dollars that go directly to the TTC to spend in any way they need to, whether it is on operational issues or on safety issues.

What the people of Ontario need to know and what the TTC riders and TTC workers need to know is that when our government put forward the funding to support the TTC throughout the pandemic and beyond, the members of the opposition voted against it.

I’m glad to hear that the member opposite understands that this is also a public safety issue. There’s a mental health component and a public policing and public safety issue. When the cameras are on, the members opposite get up and do a great job of grandstanding, but when it comes time for voting for the measures that will actually help, like Safe Restart funding, like gas tax funding and like funding our police services, the members opposite consistently vote against it.

The member from Ottawa Centre—not the TTC, but to support funding in his own city—supported a motion at Ottawa city council to defund the police. The member from Toronto Centre moved a motion when she was city councillor—

Me?

I’d like to congratulate—actually you, Speaker; it’s nice to see you in the chair. Congratulations. It’s always good to see a strong woman in the chair.

I also want to congratulate my colleague the Minister of Energy. He and I have been working on this type of file for the past number of years—me, 17; him, I believe it’s now 11, 12 or something like that. I do take his point about all of the red tape that was incurred during the last Liberal government. It does take time in order to responsibly, ethically and morally reduce red tape while taking your time, but, at the same time, understanding the sense of urgency.

A week ago, I held a round table in the constituency on Ottawa investment. One of the things I heard that makes Ottawa a unique place to invest is our stability and paycheques because of the federal government. We have a good strong base of high-tech. We’re bilingual; we’re diverse; we have lots of land and we have low costs.

That said, what is still a problem is inflation. We still have labour shortages like everywhere else. The supply chain has impacted us, but today and every day the business owners of Nepean and the rest of Ottawa tell me red tape is the number one concern and it’s costing business.

I ask the minister—he did refer to $700 million worth of cutting red tape. Could he elaborate on that?