I’m glad to hear that the Leader of the Opposition is as optimistic about the province of Ontario as we have been since 2018. In fact, just earlier this week the opposition was continuing to talk down the province of Ontario.

But let’s look at what we have done, Mr. Speaker. We didn’t just start this year; we started back in 2018 to reverse what was a disastrous time frame, when both the Liberals and the NDP systematically increased the costs on the people of the province of Ontario. We started, in 2018, to cut taxes from people. We took the most vulnerable right off the tax rolls entirely. They voted against those measures. We’re continuing with the gas tax rebate; of course, they voted against that. We’ve reduced the costs for our small, medium and large job creators by over $8 billion. The results have been that over 600,000 people in the province of Ontario now have the dignity of a job that they didn’t when they shared power with the Liberals, and we have 300,000 jobs that still need to be filled. That’s good news for the people of—

I ask the Leader of the Opposition, will she join with us in asking the federal government to, at the very least, pause that incredible increase on the costs of everything for the people of the province of Ontario? Will she put her money where her mouth is—

Interjections.

As I said last week, the opposition, the federal government—they can either support us in bringing more homes to the people of the province of Ontario, so that more people can share in the dream of home ownership. Whether it’s to own a home, whether it’s your first rental—more people want a share in that dream. You can either help us or simply get out of the way.

Interjections.

In fact, it’s just the opposite: Since this government has been in place, we have been systematically revamping our services for not only our seniors, but for our most vulnerable across the province. That is why we started off by ensuring that the lowest-income-earning people were removed from the tax rolls altogether.

When you look at the improvements that the minister is making with respect to senior care, not only in this current budget, where we increased access to the guaranteed income supplement—the incredible investments that we are making in home care, the investments that we are making in long-term care.

We’ve also heard from our seniors that they also want the opportunity, where they can, to participate in the growing economy. The Minister of Labour is making that available to them, as well. The Minister of Education, through COVID, ensured that those seniors—retired teachers, for instance—who wanted to come back and help us through the pandemic could do that.

So it’s more than just looking at seniors as exiting the workforce, it’s more than looking at them as exiting their time to participate; it’s about how we can integrate them into helping us continue to build an Ontario that they left us—a thriving Ontario that they almost destroyed.

When the hospital CEOs, in September, asked us to do more to help those seniors in hospitals who needed to be in long-term care or other options, the opposition suggested that people would be sent thousands of miles away and that they would be bankrupted by the policies that the hospital CEOs asked for. And what happened? In fact, just the opposite. When I tour long-term-care homes, the residents there say it’s the best thing that ever happened. The quality of care is much better. Why? Because we listened to the hospital CEOs.

When the hospital CEOs told us that we had to do better on small and medium-sized hospitals’ budgets, we did that.

When the hospital CEOs in Ontario—in eastern Ontario and Ottawa and Niagara—said we needed new hospitals, we came through.

When they said that they needed more staff, the Minister of Colleges and Universities came through with a program that is hiring thousands of nurses. When they needed more doctors, the minister of the Treasury Board—

I thank the member for the question.

As she acknowledged this morning in her news conference with the parents and the grandparents, the bill that was presented to the House is significantly flawed, and had it gone to second reading today, we would not have been able to make the changes that the member herself suggests need to be made in order to make the bill effective. That is why we took the unusual and aggressive step, given that there is broad-based support for this, to send it directly to committee, so that the changes the member herself acknowledges need to be made could actually be made and the bill could be supported. I did communicate this to the member and the opposition House leader on the day we took that step to move it directly to committee.

Again, it is our intention to do everything possible to make a flawed bill—although one that is presented, I suspect, in an honest, good spirit—better so that it actually works for the parents of those who are here today and all those who are watching and want us to make an appropriate change.

Is the leader of the Liberal Party kidding me?

Let’s take a look. Under the leadership or the lack thereof of the Liberals, we lost 300,000 jobs, and they wanted to transition to a service economy. In fact, Fiat Chrysler said this was the worst jurisdiction in the world in which to do business, under the Liberals—the highest amount of red tape under the Liberals, inability to get transit and transportation under the Liberals, our hospitals crumbling under the Liberals.

He talks about energy prices. Are you kidding me? Under the Liberals, people could not afford—they had to make the decision between heating and eating. And this member has the nerve to get up and—

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, let me just say this: If the member really wants to do something about affordability then he can join us in calling on the federal government, supported by the NDP, to at least pause the 14% increase in the carbon tax hitting the people of the province of Ontario on April 1.

Again, colleagues, thank you for another great week here at the Legislative Assembly, on behalf of the people of the province of Ontario.

On Monday, April 3, we will be seized with a motion, which will be tabled later today, with respect to bail reform. I suspect all members will want to have participation on that.

On Tuesday, April 4, in the morning, we will be dealing with a government bill, which will be introduced; in the afternoon, the budget motion; and in the evening, private members’ business, Bill 82, standing in the name of the member for Scarborough Southwest.

On Wednesday, April 5, in the morning and afternoon, we will have a government bill, which will be introduced later on; and in the evening, private member’s Bill 78, standing in the name of the member for Durham, Group of Seven Day Act, 2023.

And on Thursday, April 6, both in the morning and in the afternoon, there will be continued debate on a government bill, which will be introduced; and in the evening, Bill 66, standing in the name of the member from Mississauga–Lakeshore, Heart Valve Disease Awareness Act, 2023.