I want to thank the member for her remarks.

I’m thinking about the implications of the government that, in its budget last week, announced no new money for operating public transit in the province of Ontario—just commitments to these trains they’re building that may happen at one point somewhere. We know about them in Ottawa. They don’t tend to work very well when they’re built by the consultants this government likes.

A 16-year-old, sadly, tragically lost their life this past Saturday, and people have been sounding alarm bells that we urgently need money into public transit so the transit system works well and is safe.

I’m wondering if the member has any comments about how we can make sure that the public transit system that we do have actually works well and is safe?

From your perspective, where should the money be going? Should it be going into operating transit for the TTC? Should it be going to helping folks who are homeless get access to safe, affordable homes with wraparound supports?

Give these folks, who seem to be fixated on trains that have not been built yet and are late, an idea of where the money should be going to.

It’s an honour to rise tonight to speak to the budget measures act for fiscal year 2023-24.

As we know, budgets are important because they tell us and they tell the people of Ontario, the people we represent, what our government’s priorities are. Now, when it comes to this budget, what we can tell, both from the budget itself and from the minister’s speech, is that the government’s priority is everywhere other than Ottawa.

During the speech, you will all remember, the minister took us on this little travelling trip across the province. It was an impressive tour of the province, stopping off in this community and that community. They talked about all the things they’re planning to do. But the minister, on this little fictional trip that he took us all through, didn’t come to Ottawa. In fact, the furthest east the minister got on his little fantasy trip, I think, was Oshawa. He completely ignored all of eastern Ontario and the second-largest city in the province.

The minister did not tell us how his government is going to support the city of Ottawa or Hydro Ottawa recover from the tens of millions of dollars spent on disaster relief from violent windstorms last spring. What’s even more surprising is that the government recently announced a small amount of funding for weather-related disaster relief and left Ottawa completely out of the list of cities to get support.

Residents in the rural communities of Navan and Sarsfield in the riding of Glengarry–Prescott–Russell and in the community of Carlsbad Springs and Orléans and other parts of Ottawa are still being left out in the cold by this government—literally left in the cold, Madam Speaker, as their farms and their barns still have holes in the walls or holes in the roof from the violent windstorm, the derecho last spring, as a result of not receiving supports from their government.

We’ve heard a lot from this government about how they recognize the importance and the value of our Franco-Ontarian communities.

C’est certainement très important pour les résidents d’Orléans et les résidents d’Ottawa et de toutes les autres communautés francophones en Ontario. Et le gouvernement parle beaucoup de leur respect pour la communauté franco-ontarienne, mais on ne le voit pas dans le budget. Dans le budget, il y a une réduction pour le ministre des services francophones, madame la Présidente.

On sait que le Mouvement d’implication francophone d’Orléans est un centre communautaire essentiel pour les résidents d’Ottawa et pour tous les francophones et francophiles de l’Ontario. Construit par la communauté, le MIFO est un endroit où les francophones et les francophiles peuvent se rassembler pour participer aux arts, à des activités physiques, et à leur programmation pour les enfants. Et c’est clair que le MIFO a besoin d’une expansion de leur centre communautaire pour offrir plus de services pour une communauté franco-ontarienne qui a grandi à Orléans et tout partout en Ontario et à Ottawa.

Et ils ont demandé plusieurs fois pour une subvention de ce gouvernement, en participation avec le gouvernement fédéral et la ville d’Ottawa, pour les fonds nécessaires pour construire ce nouveau centre, et cette subvention n’est pas dans le budget. Le gouvernement parle beaucoup de leur affection pour tous les bons programmes que le MIFO offre, mais il n’offre pas l’argent pour accommoder l’expansion du MIFO.

As I said, Madam Speaker, a budget is an opportunity to see what the government’s priorities are. It’s time for all of us, as leaders, to demonstrate to the people that we’re putting their money where the government’s mouths are.

The government claims that the budget is about a path to balance. But for middle-class families, for families in the suburbs who are facing higher grocery bills, higher hydro rates, higher housing costs, for these families, I don’t think that they would say that they’re feeling the balance. For middle-class families, all of their costs are going up. None of their costs are going down.

For Ontario’s families, simply getting by has gotten harder and harder. They’re facing skyrocketing cost-of-living increases, unaffordable housing and a health care system that is in crisis. And yet, this budget offers nothing in terms of relief for these families who are feeling the pinch every day when they go to buy groceries, these families that feel the pinch every day when they go to pay for their basic expenses.

As my colleague from Ottawa South mentioned, there are no immediate supports in the budget that will help Ontarians get by. There is nothing in the budget to make life just a little bit easier. Where are the targeted tax credits? Where are the fee reductions? Sometimes, it’s not always about reducing costs. I know lots of people who are willing to pay a little bit more to get a little bit more. So where are the service enhancements? None of that exists in this budget.

When Ontarians are feeling the pinch, they should know that their government has their back. But in this budget, that’s non-existent. There’s nothing in the budget that will help the bidding wars that are going through the rental market. We need this government to bring back the rent control on new builds that they cancelled when they were first elected. That would provide immediate relief to tens of thousands of people who are just trying to put a roof over their heads. With the skyrocketing housing prices right across the province, that would make life just a little bit easier for all those families and those individuals that are struggling to make ends meet.

Now, Madam Speaker, I truly believe that a budget is one of the most important ways that a government demonstrates to the people that it’s aware of what’s going on, it’s aware of the pressures that people are facing. And it’s an opportunity for the government to present their priorities to the people. We get to see their actions, their spending, their priorities; we get to see that those things match their rhetoric, match the things that they’re saying, match the things that they’re trying to convince Ontarians they believe in. But what we’ve seen with this budget is that the government’s rhetoric is writing cheques that their treasury just isn’t willing to cash. Ontario families deserve better.

My question is for the member from Ottawa South.

I’d like to first of all thank the member from Mississauga–Malton for his wonderful speech and for the kind words.

I’m pleased to rise to speak about our government’s 2023 Ontario Budget: Building a Strong Ontario. Let me just say, Madam Speaker, it’s such an honour being part of this government with Premier Ford and representing my friends, neighbours and constituents as their member of provincial Parliament for the riding of Carleton.

First of all, let me congratulate our Minister of Finance, the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, and our dedicated parliamentary assistants to the minister, PAs Rick Byers and Stephen Crawford. Your hard work in consulting with Ontarians and working diligently to prepare this budget is commendable. Thank you for all of your hard work.

Madam Speaker, it was such a pleasure to take part in pre-budget consultations across this great province. From Ottawa to Timmins to Kenora, I heard the same things: Ontarians wanted a budget to build a strong economy, now and for the future. They wanted a budget that would build more roads, highways, transit and broadband. They wanted a budget that would build new long-term-care homes, hospitals, schools and child care spaces. They wanted a budget to build a strong health care system that connects people to the right care. Madam Speaker, our budget will do just that, while at the same time returning Ontario to a balanced budget.

In 2022-23 fiscal year, the deficit is projected to shrink to just $2.2 billion. And in 2023-24, our government plans to further reduce the deficit to $1.3 billion. Starting next year, our government will ensure a modest surplus of $200 million in the budget. Let me be clear: Under the reckless spending of the Liberals and NDP, this would have never been possible.

I’m excited to share what we’re doing for Ontarians under this budget. From Uxbridge to Kitchener-Waterloo and Fort Frances to Cornwall, we are building and redeveloping hospitals and ensuring that Ontarians get the health care that they need. In fact, Ronald McDonald House, which is in Ottawa and is such an important place for hospice care, is receiving over $3 million in funding in this budget.

Madam Speaker, as part of our plan to build a more connected and convenient health care system, we’re implementing the most ambitious plan for hospital expansion in Ontario’s history, investing over $48 billion over the next 10 years in hospital infrastructure, including over $32 billion in hospital capital grants. Recent milestones have included the Queensway Carleton Hospital mental health redevelopment project. In December 2022, construction of this project was completed. It adds two new acute mental health beds and expands space for mental health and addictions programs and services. The remaining renovations are scheduled to be complete by November 2023, and this will benefit my constituents in Carleton and indeed all of the Ottawa and eastern Ontario region.

Moreover, our budget adds more than $48 billion over the next 10 years in hospital infrastructure, including over $32 billion in hospital capital grants. This will support more than 50 hospital projects that will add 3,000 new beds over 10 years to increase access to reliable, quality care.

Investments are also being made to support hospital projects, including support for redevelopment of the existing hospital and regional trauma centre on a new site for the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus to expand access to programs and services, as well as meet bed capacity needs.

Under our health care plan in this budget, we know that every child in Ontario should be able to get the care they need, when they need it. Our government has committed more than $200 million to connect children and youth to care in hospitals and close to home in their communities, including new funding for surgical and diagnostic wait times, pediatric hospitals and rehabilitation programs, as well as mental health and other community-based supports. The government is also increasing access to high-quality care for patients across Ontario, including care at children’s hospitals.

The best experts for certain conditions may not be based in a family’s local community, and families sometimes travel long distances for specialized care. And as I mentioned earlier in my speech, Madam Speaker, Ronald McDonald House Charities provides families with accommodation, meals, activities, peer support, respite, support for siblings, laundry, school and many other services to take care of the entire family while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital. I had the pleasure of visiting Ronald McDonald charity house in Ottawa to get a tour of this amazing facility and to learn more and see first-hand how they are supporting not just children, but their families and caregivers.

That’s why, Madam Speaker, I am so pleased that our government is investing $3.1 million in 2023-24 for an expansion of the Ronald McDonald charity Ottawa house. This expansion will more than double the capacity of RMHC Ottawa house from 55,000 to 115,000 overnight stays per year for families with children being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Madam Speaker, our government is getting it done for health care, and let me be clear: It will always be paid for with an OHIP card.

I’m delighted to speak about our province’s investment in our transportation system. Our government is investing $27.9 billion over the next 10 years to connect communities, fight gridlock and keep goods and people moving across the province. The Ontario highways program includes more than 600 expansion and rehabilitation projects that are either under way or planned over the next four years. The Ontario highways program also includes widening existing corridors to increase capacity and enhance road safety for travellers. In particular, I am excited about the projects that have been and will be completed that will benefit the people of Carleton. Recently, construction was completed on Highway 417 in Ottawa, which saw bridge rehabilitation and replacement at Innes Road and Ramsayville Road. We will also get it done for Ottawa and eastern Ontario by completing the widening of Highway 17 from two to four lanes for 22.5 kilometres between Arnprior and Renfrew.

Madam Speaker, the Liberals and NDP never spared much thought to highways or the people stuck on them. Last election, voters noticed that our government does not take drivers for granted. We will get these highway projects done for Ontario drivers—

Under this budget, a new English public elementary school will be constructed in Ottawa that will serve 628 students and include 39 licensed child care spaces.

Under this budget, a new French public elementary school will be constructed in Ottawa that will serve 475 students and include 49 licensed child care spaces.

Madam Speaker, we are getting it done for the students of Ottawa and Ontario.

Finally, we know that small businesses and entrepreneurs keep our province moving, and that is why our government is supporting regional innovation centre hubs. Regional innovation centre hubs play an important role in supporting entrepreneurship by collaborating with other regional innovation centres and innovation organizers to ensure entrepreneurs have access to the tools they need to start and fuel their businesses. Our government will always stand behind small business owners and entrepreneurs, and this budget does just that.

In conclusion, our plan for a strong Ontario is a truly comprehensive plan. We have the right plan. We have the right Premier. We have the right team to build an Ontario that will continue to have a resilient economy, an Ontario that has the best infrastructure in place, an Ontario that connects you to the care you need and an Ontario that has a bright future for you, your family and generations to come.

I am pleased to support our government’s budget and urge all members to join me in getting it done for the people of Ontario.