The member for Orléans.

Je vais partager mon temps avec mon collègue le membre d’Orléans.

It’s great to be up here to get a chance to debate the budget. What I’ve heard from the government consistently since last week is that they’re on a path to balance. I don’t agree, and here’s why.

Ontario’s families are not feeling the balance. Gas prices are going up. Rents are going up. Groceries are going up. Utility prices have doubled. Interest rates have gone up. For Ontario’s families, simply getting by has gotten harder. They work hard and still they feel like they’re falling further and further behind. What they’re looking for is for their government to make their lives just a little bit easier. That’s not here in this budget, and it’s not in the long-term plan.

Ce que les familles souhaitent, c’est que leur gouvernement leur rend la vie un peu plus facile.

Ontario’s families, looking for something to make their lives just a little bit easier, can’t find it in this budget. The government is sending them a different message. If you have a child in school who has exceptional needs and they’re not being met, the message is, you’re on your own. If your child is struggling with their mental health or is just simply falling behind at school, the message is, you’re on your own. If you’re looking for child care so that you can return to the workforce, the message from this government is, you’re on your own. If you’re too sick to go to work, the Premier’s message is, you’re on your own. If you’re one of two million Ontarians who can’t find a family physician or a nurse practitioner, the message is, you’re on your own. If you’re a senior and you need an eye exam, what’s the message? You’re on your own. If your mom needs home care but she only gets it half the time, what’s the message, folks? You’re on your own. If you’re a low-income family and you’re struggling with the cost of food, rent and all those other things that are going up, what’s this government’s message? You’re on your own.

Instead of making lives just a little bit easier, the government and this Premier are making people’s lives harder.

Interjections.