Thank you, Speaker. It’s great to see you in the chair. Great to be here on a big day today, budget day. We’re excited to unveil a budget later today.

I’m honoured to be speaking on the government’s bill today, Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023. I would like to recognize and thank the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for putting this bill forward. I think he has done a great job. I’d also like to thank his two parliamentary assistants who I know brought a lot of hard work to preparing this bill as well, the member for Mississauga–Malton and the member I see across, part of our team, from Scarborough Centre. Thank you for the work you did in putting this bill together. Our minister’s dedication to workers is providing opportunities for people to enter the skilled trades, which is so critical.

Working for Workers Act 3 brings three important sets of legislative amendments to help position Ontario as the most competitive jurisdiction in North America. First, it sets out to enhance employment experience by making workplaces more attractive, including and reflecting the reality of modern work. We all know that, today, a lot more people work from home.

This particular bill focuses on military leave to support our Canadian Armed Forces—who couldn’t support that—information requirements and mass layoff requirements.

Secondly, it introduces legislative amendments to protect vulnerable workers by making sure they are safe, protected and treated fairly. This includes:

—presumptive coverage;

—Occupational Health and Safety Act fines;

—hygiene on construction sites;

—PPE, personal protective equipment, in construction; and

—fines for holding passports.

Thirdly, this proposed legislation seeks to build a competitive labour market by increasing the labour supply and attracting new workers to Ontario, which we so sorely need. It will develop a grade 10 skilled trades pathway, improve the Ontario Works job pathway and advanced credential recognition.

The proposed change in government will support communities and the workers in my riding of Oakville and across Ontario for generations to come so that they can find rewarding careers.

Our government has been getting down to work to ensure that talent remains and thrives within our great province.

As our province witnessed under the previous Liberal government, there were hundreds of thousands of jobs leaving this province. We know the condition of the province under their leadership: Businesses left, and investments were diverted to other jurisdictions. The province’s economic growth was lagging behind other provinces. Ontario, for many years, was not the economic engine of Canada. This was unacceptable to Ontarians who needed jobs to support themselves and their families.

Speaker, jobs are returning to the province now in droves because of the investments and policies introduced by our government. For instance, the manufacturing sector is growing. This is in part because of provincial funding to build a domestic supply chain for electric vehicles. Oakville, my community, is a key municipality in the domestic supply chain. Our government provided $295 million to retool the Ford assembly complex for electric vehicle production, securing 3,000 direct jobs and countless indirect jobs. Just yesterday, we had an announcement in my riding of Oakville with the Premier and Minister of Finance and Minister of Economic Development initiating a manufacturing tax credit, which will further help manufacturers in this province—small and mid-sized private manufacturers—to be able to buy new equipment so they can produce more goods more efficiently and faster. And I can tell you, the support we saw yesterday from the employees, from the workers, from management was incredible.

Speaker, Ontarians want jobs, and our government is creating the right economic conditions. That is absolutely critical to create the proper environment for business to flourish. It’s essential to note that we are fortifying worker protections with this job growth, as well. They go hand in hand.

Last year, the Working for Workers Act, 2022, was carried in this Legislature. This bill increased fines for employers who do not comply with health and safety laws to ensure their workers are protected. It established foundational rights and protections for digital platform workers, such as rideshare and delivery drivers, ensuring they are paid a fair wage and have their disputes resolved in Ontario. It also worked to address Ontario’s historic labour shortage by allowing out-of-province workers to register in their profession or trade within 30 days, helping them find jobs faster and contributing to our province’s economic growth.

I was proud to speak in favour of that legislation, just as right now I am proud to speak in favour of this third Working for Workers legislation. Improving labour conditions creates a workforce that benefits employers and the general economy. I believe every member of this Legislature can support this proposed legislation. The Working for Workers acts in 2021 and 2022 have already provided millions of Ontarians with the protections they deserve. These new changes will continue to ensure that Ontario workers are protected and supported in every aspect of their work.

First and foremost, our government recognizes that vulnerable and migrant workers are often at the most risk for exploitation in the workforce. That’s why we’re establishing the highest maximum fines in Canada for businesses and individuals who are convicted of withholding a foreign national’s passport or work permit. With fines of up to $200,000 per passport withheld, offenders will face significant consequences for their illegal actions. For individuals convicted, the fine could be up to $500,000 and corporations found liable could face up to $1 million in fines. These penalties will ensure that businesses and individuals who attempt to exploit vulnerable workers will be held accountable for their actions.

We are also proposing amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act that will increase the maximum fine for corporations convicted of an offence, from $1.5 million to $2 million. This increase will give Ontario the highest maximum corporate fine under workplace health and safety legislation in Canada. It’s essential that corporations understand the importance of workplace safety and take the necessary steps—

My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Last week, I attended an exciting hockey game with the minister at Iceland Arena in my riding of Mississauga–Malton. It was one of the 487 games played across five arenas in Mississauga over four days. Thank you to the Nipissing First Nation for organizing and thank you for choosing to host the event in Mississauga–Malton.

So 184 teams played in the first Little Native Hockey League tournament to be held in three years. This tournament is more than just a series of hockey games: It is a special event that drew over 2,000 children and teens to Mississauga from several First Nations communities.

Speaker, can the minister please describe the impact of sporting events like this to Ontario and Mississauga–Malton?

It’s encouraging news to hear about the positive effects that sporting events have on tourism and the substantive impact on economic activity. However, when I speak with the tourism operators and employers in my community, they raise concerns about the future. I hear them express worries about many jobs going unfilled—of an uncertain labour market. Tourism operators are really concerned about potential lost revenue because of the challenges they are experiencing in recruiting people into the tourism industry.

Tourism is vital to the economic well-being of our province and the industry deserves support from our government. Speaker, through you, can the minister please explain how our government is attracting prospective workers to consider employment and helping these operators?

I’d like to thank the member from Mississauga–Malton for standing with me at the bench as a guest coach, but making sure everyone understands—the team won; it had nothing to do with you or me, frankly. And I look forward to seeing you on your blades at some point down the road.

There are few things that I like more than getting into an environment where young people are doing something they love to do, and this tournament was a great example on so many levels of leadership, civility, pride, taking care of one another—it’s one of the things that team sports does. And to be a guest coach at the Little Native Hockey League tournament—the NHL from now on—became an inclusive opportunity for us to contribute to see how young people truly understand how the game is played. Coaches take care of the kids, there was no harassment of players and parents loved being there. It was an environment that will foster—and 184 teams—

The other side of is this tournament—not only was it unique in many ways, but it had an offshoot where the young people could go and look at tourism to see if this was in fact an opportunity not for a job, but for a career. It’s not about jobs, it’s about finding a career, and they did such a wonderful job at this tournament exposing these young people to opportunity on and off the ice. That’s their job. That’s one of our jobs, Mr. Speaker.

The Ontario Arts Council’s funding is being maintained during the upcoming year, so be clear on that. And if we’re going to throw numbers around, since 2018 we have invested $1.1 billion in arts and culture through the ministry programs and agencies. This includes nearly $340 million for the OAC. We are proud to support it, we’ve worked with—and about meetings: I’m glad you brought that up, because we’ve had a number of meetings with the stakeholders, and we’ve sat down and talked with them.

It’s interesting: In our conversations, Mr. Speaker, they don’t talk about what they don’t have; they talk about what they do have, and what they do have is opportunity and budgets to work with. We’re proud of the way they work and how creative they’ve become, not only in their art but in their time and what they are doing.

So I guess the member—

Again, the creativity behind the way they looked at their industry and their businesses and how they continue to develop throughout the very difficult times—as it should make all of us stronger when we come out the other side, Mr. Speaker. This is a classic example in this sector, so I’m proud of what they are doing. We will continue to meet with them.

And yet again, I will tell you, when we sat at the table, when typically we are used to having somebody say, “Where is the money?” They didn’t ask for the money. They said, “How can you help us? Because we’re going to get better,” because that’s the way they think. That’s the way we think, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Premier, that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government.

I also want to acknowledge the great work that my parliamentary assistants do to help me come to this point. The parliamentary assistants, of course, that I’m referring to are the great parliamentary assistant from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound and the great parliamentary assistant from Oakville behind me.

I also want to acknowledge the great parliamentary assistants who went there before them and did such a great job: from Brantford–Brant, from Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill—where are the other ones? There’s Stan Cho from Willowdale—how can I forget? And Rudy Cuzzetto from Mississauga–Lakeshore.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to begin.

On behalf of Premier Ford and our entire government, it is my honour to introduce the 2023 budget.

Building a Strong Ontario.

Au nom du premier ministre Ford et de l’ensemble de notre gouvernement, j’ai l’honneur de vous présenter le budget de l’Ontario 2023.

Bâtir un Ontario fort.

This plan is our blueprint for building a strong province during a time of economic challenges and change.

It is a plan for a strong economy. Now and for the future.

It is a plan to build more roads, more highways, more transit and more broadband.

It is a plan to build new long-term-care homes, new hospitals, schools and child care spaces.

It is a plan to build the critical minerals sector in Ontario’s north.

At the same time, invest in clean, green steel in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie and connect them with a globally competitive manufacturing sector in the south.

It is a plan to build a health care system.

That connects people to the right care.

It is a plan for us to do all of this ...

... To invest in our future.

While, at the same time, returning Ontario to a balanced budget.

This plan is our government’s blueprint.

And Ontario’s path.

Rooted in strong fundamentals. A long-term vision. And real action.

To not only face the current turbulence that we see in the global economy.

But emerge from it—stronger than ever.

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to start with the numbers.

Thanks to robust revenue growth, prudence, disciplined planning and clear priorities ...

I am pleased to report that in the 2022-23 fiscal year, the deficit is projected to shrink to just $2.2 billion.

In 2023-24, we plan to further reduce the deficit to $1.3 billion.

And starting next year, we will return Ontario to the black, with a modest surplus of $200 million.

Mr. Speaker—this is more than just a strong fiscal record.

While uncertainty persists, it puts us in a position of fiscal strength.

In fact, Ontario’s net-debt-to-GDP is now forecast to be 37.8% in 2023-24, down 3.6 percentage points.

And with this progress, the people of Ontario can have confidence that tomorrow will be better than today.

And to be clear, a return to balanced budgets would not have happened under a Liberal or NDP government.

And in this budget, we are showing it is possible to balance a budget.

While investing...

More in housing;

More in highways;

More in transit;

More in the skilled trades;

More in new manufacturing; and

More in health care;

More in education; and

More in the north.

This is what we promised the people of Ontario that we would do in the last election.

We promised we would get it done.

And Mr. Speaker.

We are delivering on that promise today here, in front of all of you.

Now, Mr. Speaker.

A lot has changed since we were first elected, particularly since we first introduced a budget in 2022, just last year.

The world is, to be frank, a more unsettled and uncertain place.

Ontario is part of the global economy and is not immune to the impact of global forces, including geopolitical tension provoked by Russian aggression against Ukraine, the reopening of China’s economy, the energy transition, and policies such as the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act.

More and more global trading partners have begun looking inwards. Supply chains have become disrupted or strained.

The post-COVID-19 pandemic environment has been defined by elevated inflation that puts the squeeze on the wallets of families and businesses.

People are finding it harder to afford housing. To afford groceries. To afford other household goods.

And as I have said many times, Ontario is not an island.

While we remains resilient, the seas around us are stormy.

And our budget must reflect that with continued prudence and planning assumptions that leave room for future surprises or shocks.

Alors que l’Ontario demeure résilient, la tempête fait toujours rage autour de nous.

Et notre budget doit en tenir compte en demeurant prudent et en s’appuyant sur des hypothèses de planification qui prévoient une marge de manoeuvre pour faire face aux surprises ou chocs qui pourraient survenir.

And there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. I want the people of Ontario to know that, despite the turbulence of the past year, we are doing better than most and we have a flexible plan to address these ongoing economic challenges, because serious times call for a serious budget.

This is a serious budget.

And while much has changed since our last budget ... economic circumstances have confirmed our plan was—and is—the right one.

In fact, our plan is already showing early results.

Ontario’s population is growing, jobs are being created and we are attracting manufacturing investments.

Ontario’s population is now over 15 million people.

We have over 275,000 more people a year moving into Ontario.

This is good news.

Because with this growth, we are seeing stronger communities across Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, I am as confident about Ontario’s future as I ever have been. But while I see a brighter future in front of us, success is neither automatic nor guaranteed. We will have to work for it by taking a responsible and flexible approach.

And that’s why we have a plan to build a strong, more resilient and more competitive economy right here at home.

We must increase our self-sufficiency and reduce our dependence on imports from parts of the world that have no intention of being reliable or fair-trading partners.

And Canada, particularly Ontario, is as well-equipped as any place in the world to not only decouple from these adversarial regimes but thrive in doing so.

Take the Ring of Fire, Mr. Speaker.

The Ring of Fire is our ticket to reduce our dependency on unstable or unfriendly foreign regimes.

But that, of course, requires us to tap into the wealth, and tapping into that wealth, in turn, requires political will.

For decades, previous governments ignored the immense wealth in Ontario’s north—for no other reason than the work of developing that resource was too hard.

Well, our government is not afraid of hard work.

We are working hand in hand with the First Nations in northern Ontario to build the true partnership that will ensure both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can benefit from these untapped riches.

Just a few short weeks ago our government approved the First Nations-led plan for the northern road link. This is a major milestone, to finally build all-season roads. This is an important step forward to unlocking the full economic potential of the Ring of Fire.

Of course, building the road to the Ring of Fire is not, by itself, the solution. We have to get the minerals out of the ground. You’ve got to build the mines.

Our government is, once again, taking this challenge head-on.

We have committed $1 billion to unlock the critical minerals of Ontario’s north. We continue to call on the federal government to match our commitment.

We are also incenting and encouraging exploration by providing an additional $3 million to the Ontario Junior Exploration Program this year and next.

Of course, getting the minerals out of the ground is not the final step.

We need to connect them to our world-class manufacturing sector.

Now, you wouldn’t know it, perhaps—but I would think we all do now—Ontario happens to have just what it takes to create a world-class manufacturing sector.

Nous devons les relier à notre secteur de la fabrication de calibre mondial.

Et il se trouve que l’Ontario abrite justement celui-là.

Mr. Speaker, join me in a little thought experiment.

Imagine if you headed out back and jumped into a car parked in the legislative parking lot—perhaps it’s an electric vehicle.

Because we’d be going on a little road trip.

We’d start by jumping on the Don Valley Parkway, heading to the 401 eastbound, which we have a plan to start widening, at Brock Road in Pickering.

We’d drive straight through Durham region—maybe grabbing a coffee in the great city of Pickering (or as I call it—the Pic), then through to Oshawa—by the way, if Drake can call Toronto the Six, I think we can call Pickering the Pic. We would drive through to Oshawa, which is benefiting from part of GM’s more than $2-billion investment that will protect thousands of jobs.

We might then double back a bit, turn north on the toll-free—did I say that? The toll-free Highway 412 and hop on Highway 7—maybe make a detour to Richmond Hill where Tesla is manufacturing the equipment to help make the batteries of the future—but ultimately end up in Alliston where Honda is making a $1.4-billion investment to make hybrid vehicles.

So, we then need to get back south and hop on the 401 West to the 403, and pass through Oakville, where Ford is making a $1.8-billion investment to produce EVs.

Let’s keep going. Let’s continue down the 403 to Hamilton where ArcelorMittal Dofasco is making a $1.8-billion investment in producing clean “green steel.”

But, folks, we’re not there yet. We continue. We’re going to go west on Highway 8 and we could swing by to Cambridge, and then keep on the 401 until you get to Woodstock—two proud auto towns where Toyota has invested $1.4 billion to make vehicles, including hybrids.

And hear me out, Mr. Speaker: We could keep going further west on the 401 until we get to Ingersoll, where GM is building Canada’s full-scale EV manufacturing plant.

And to cap off an amazing trip, we’re going keep going southwest until we get to Windsor—where Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions are investing more than $5 billion to build Ontario’s first-ever large-scale EV battery manufacturing plant ... with 2,500 new jobs.

And by the way, Mr. Speaker, on our way back to Queen’s Park, we’ll take a brief detour, if that’s all right, to St. Thomas ... the future home of Volkswagen’s first-ever overseas battery cell plant.

Mr. Speaker, that trip is so exciting, not once would you ask me if we’re there yet! It would be a beautiful road, Mr. Speaker—a scenic one—but most importantly, this is a road trip that would take us through some of the communities that are benefiting from over $16 billion in investments by global auto manufacturers and suppliers of EV batteries and battery materials.

And thanks to the leadership of Premier Ford and the great economic development minister Vic Fedeli, Ontario is now the heartland of Canada’s electric vehicle revolution.

It’s difficult to overstate the incredible significance of that statement. After all, in 10 years, people buying a new car will choose between an electric vehicle ... and an electric vehicle. And when they do, we’re making sure they choose an Ontario-made electric vehicle.

The global economy is changing. And we are seizing our competitive advantage as a province. We are not just going to keep up—we’re going to keep prospering under the leadership of this government, and this Premier, and we are going to thrive in the economy of the future.

L’économie mondiale est en évolution. Et nous saisissons les avantages concurrentiels dont nous disposons en tant que province. Nous n’allons pas simplement suivre la cadence. Sous la direction du gouvernement actuel, et du premier ministre Ford, nous allons prospérer dans l’économie de l’avenir.

But we must continue to find ways to boost Ontario’s competitiveness. This is why our government is working with partners to have shovel-ready industrial sites available for new manufacturing projects.

And we are already seeing success with this, as evidenced by Volkswagen’s recent announcement.

So, let me say it again, Mr. Speaker.

Ontario is now the heartland of Canada’s electric vehicle revolution.

And not one dollar of this investment. And not a single one of these jobs was automatic or guaranteed.

The previous government let more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs in Ontario flee.

This government is bringing the cars of tomorrow, the jobs of tomorrow and the investments of tomorrow right back to Ontario, right here, right now, today!

It took a lot of rebuilding, but Ontario manufacturing is back, Mr. Speaker. And it’s time to keep that momentum up.

That is why today we are proposing the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit, a 10% tax credit to help more Canadian-controlled corporations expand, invest, create jobs and become more competitive.

Our message is, if you are prepared to bet big on Ontario, then Ontario is prepared to bet big on you.

You know, seizing this immense opportunity will also require energy.

We are proud to support the continued safe operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and the refurbishments of the Darlington and Bruce Nuclear Generating Stations.

In fact, we’ve already started construction on the small modular reactor at Darlington.

And we are leading in record battery procurements, with the largest battery storage project in Canada being built right here in Ontario in partnership with the Six Nations of Grand River Development Corp., Northland Power, NRStor and the Aecon Group.

This government will continue supporting the development of small modular reactors, which will be essential to future supply.

Now we know, companies are refusing to invest in jurisdictions that don’t help them achieve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

And once again, Ontario is poised to thrive.

For example, to help boost competitiveness, the government is launching a voluntary Clean Energy Credit Registry.

Mr. Speaker, we are seizing our clean energy advantage today, for tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker. If I can take you back to our little thought experiment. Our manufacturing road trip. Do you know what it depends on for that road trip? It depends on having functioning highways, doesn’t it? And our plan is the right plan for transit and highways, Mr. Speaker. The Liberals and NDP never spared much thought to highways or the people stuck on them.

In the last election, it seems that the voters of Peel region and across the GTA noticed.

Well, we don’t take drivers for granted.

We told them we would build more highways and we are.

Highway 413.

We said we would do it.

We’re building it.

The Bradford Bypass.

We said we would do it.

We’re building it.

The QEW Skyway.

Widening the 401 east through Durham.

And the new Highway 7 in Kitchener.

We said we would do all of them.

And, Mr. Speaker, we are building them.

Mr. Speaker, we are also continuing to make large new investments in transit.

Including increasing GO Transit service to Niagara from Union Station and bringing back the Northlander from Timmins to Toronto.

And making progress on the Ontario Line.

We’re also investing in new schools, in child care spaces, in hospitals and in long-term-care homes.

Our plan to build new hospitals and expand the existing ones.

It is a plan that is supporting a full continuum of care at Runnymede Healthcare Centre for first responders experiencing post-traumatic stress injury and other mental health challenges.

And today we’re making that additional investment of $9.6 million for this project to advance towards construction and accelerate it in the next round of approvals.

It’s also a plan to build a brand new hospital serving Mississauga and Brampton.

It’s a plan, Mr. Speaker, to redevelop St. Mary’s General and Grand River hospitals in Kitchener-Waterloo.

It’s also a plan to build a new hospital in Uxbridge and a new one in Windsor.

It’s a plan to build new schools in communities including in Pickering, Ottawa and Atikokan.

It’s a plan to build, right across this province, safe and comfortable long-term-care spaces in Cornwall, in Kitchener and in North Bay, in Ajax, in Owen Sound, in North Grenville and right across this great province.

We said we were going to build them.

We’re building them.

Mr. Speaker, you might even say we’re getting it done.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about something else we are building in Ontario.

And that’s a better deal for workers and their families.

Because everything we are building and everything we plan to build depends, on the Ontario worker.

Every day we ask ourselves:

Do we have the right plan to fill the open positions across the province?

To recruit new skilled workers from abroad.

To fill skills gaps.

To encourage more people, and young people, to enter the trades.

And, to give them better protections on and off the job site.

This has been the mission of this government, for many months now and years, and today with this budget we are taking this mission to the next step.

It starts with a simple declaration.

Ontario needs more skilled workers.

The greatest single obstacle we face to reaching our full potential is a shortage of workers in the sectors that need them.

In construction.

In the skilled trades.

In health care.

And while, yes, the talent shortage is global, that is a challenge—not an excuse.

Ontario must do more.

And with this budget. With our plan. We are.

It starts with investing more money into helping more workers upgrade their skills or transition into the skilled careers that need them.

The Skills Development Fund has been an unqualified success in helping nearly 400,000 workers gain the skills they need to find better jobs and more stable careers in the sectors that badly need them.

Whether we are providing a worker with tools and a pair of work boots for training. Or giving an Indigenous worker in northern Ontario a path through which they can build up their home community. Or offering a Ukrainian refugee, the opportunity to build a new career and new life in their new home. This fund has been a life changer.

So, Mr. Speaker, we’re putting more money into it. That is why budget 2023, our plan to build, will invest an additional $75 million over the next three years into the Skills Development Fund.

Mr. Speaker, in order to give more workers more opportunities, we also have to give them more new and modern places, where they can learn and train.

That is why we also will be investing $224 million in a new capital stream of the Skills Development Fund to partner with private-sector unions and others so they can upgrade and expand union halls and other training centres right across the province.

Mr. Speaker, this will prepare more workers for careers with secure, well-paying jobs that our economy needs so badly.

Nobody, and certainly nobody in government or the public sector, is more in touch with the real-world needs of our skilled trades workers than private-sector unions. They told us they are ready to work with us. And we are ready to work with them.

Mr. Speaker, we are also making it easier for more high school students to pursue careers in the trades and other sectors that need them. This includes health care—where I know our doctors, nurses and other health care workers are already sacrificing so much to keep people healthy and safe.

We are going to expedite the training of more health care workers through expanding access to dual credit opportunities to provide more students with a head start in their journey to becoming nurses, personal support workers, paramedics or medical laboratory technicians.

It is long overdue that our education system from our schools, to our colleges, universities and apprenticeship programs—prioritized creating job-ready graduates in the sectors that need them. This is what our government is doing.

And, we know that more skilled immigrants have to be part of the solution.

Mr. Speaker, as the child of Hungarian immigrants—of refugees, in fact—myself, I know first-hand how Canada and Ontario have transformed the lives of so many people in their hour of need. Work that continues to this day with refugees from Syria or Ukraine or elsewhere.

And newcomers, in turn, want to do more to contribute to their new home.

There are so many people who want to come here.

They’re prepared to come to Ontario.

The federal government has committed to at least 18,000 newcomers a year by 2025 through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

Mr. Speaker, we asked the federal government to double our allocation, and they have. We thank them.

We’re going to do our part. We’re investing an additional $25 million over three years in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program to ensure we can help immigrants hit the ground running and start contributing to Ontario right away.

My message to anyone considering Ontario for your home—you are welcome. We welcome you to our great province.

Now, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, many families are feeling the financial pressures the current economy is putting on them.

And while our government does not control the global forces driving inflation, there are things that do lie in our control.

Which is why we acted early to keep your costs down.

We eliminated licence plate renewal fees as well as licence plate stickers and refunded two years’ worth of fees for eligible vehicles.

We cut the provincial gas tax and the fuel tax rate until the end of the year.

We have eliminated double fares when taking GO Transit and local transit throughout much of the greater Golden Horseshoe—and we are expanding this initiative to include Toronto, so a commuter coming into the city only pays one fare per trip, saving you money each way.

Mr. Speaker, we focused on those who are most vulnerable, offering a hand up to our neighbours who need our support the most.

We have doubled the Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) payment for eligible low-income seniors through to the end of the year.

And today, we are proposing to expand eligibility for the program so that an additional 100,000 seniors would be eligible for the program.

We are also proposing to index the GAINS benefit to inflation so that when costs rise, so would our support, something no previous government has ever done in Ontario.

Nous avons doublé la prestation du Régime de revenu annuel garanti, RRAG, pour les personnes âgées à faible revenu, ceci jusqu’à la fin de l’année.

Et nous proposons d’élargir l’admissibilité au programme à compter de juillet 2024, ce qui permettrait à environ 100 000 personnes âgées de plus d’y devenir admissibles.

Nous proposons également d’indexer la prestation du RRAG en fonction de l’inflation, de sorte que, lorsque les coûts augmentent, notre soutien augmenterait aussi.

We’ve also increased Ontario Disability Support Program rates ... and we’re removing barriers for those with a disability receiving support who can and choose to work.

Mr. Speaker, our government will give a hand up to those that need it the most.

Sadly, many around us don’t have a roof over their head or a place to call home. Our government continues to be there for these neighbours.

So today, we are making an historic investment of an additional $202 million each year in supportive housing and homelessness programs to provide not only a hand up, but hope for a better life for those who need it most.

Mr. Speaker, in order to tackle the ongoing housing affordability crisis, governments at all levels need to work together to get more shovels in the ground.

We’re taking bold action, under the leadership of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Premier and all of us—on that side, on this side—to build 1.5 million homes, but we cannot do it alone.

The Ontario government is calling on the federal government to defer the harmonized sales tax (HST) on all new large-scale purpose-built rental housing projects.

This is part of the government’s plan to spur the construction of more rental housing units, while helping to create jobs, drive economic development and support growth.

We are also working to improve services you and your family need. Starting with health care.

We are investing every single dollar we receive from the federal government’s recent health care funding down payment—and a whole lot more—into better health care services.

While we will receive $4.4 billion in additional funding over the next three years from the federal government under the recent agreement in principle, negotiated by our Premier ...

Ontario will invest a total of $15.3 billion into health over that same period.

Mr. Speaker, this plan to improve health care starts with home care.

Through the 2022 budget, the government announced a plan to invest $1 billion over three years to get more people connected to care in the comfort of their own home and community.

Our government is now accelerating investments to bring funding in 2023-24 up to $569 million, including nearly $300 million to support contract rate increases to stabilize the home and community care workforce.

This funding will also expand home care services and improve the quality of care, making it easier and faster for people to connect to care.

We also recognize the incredible toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people’s mental health across the province.

We are investing an additional $425 million over three years in mental health and addictions supports, including a 5% increase in the base funding of community-based mental health and addictions services providers funded by the Ministry of Health.

We are also investing more than $200 million to connect children and youth to care at hospitals and close to home in their communities. And we have set aside more funding to work with our front-line partners and identify additional needs requiring our investment for the health of our children and our youth.

To make care more convenient for people and families, pharmacists will soon be able to prescribe medication to treat more common ailments that they are eminently qualified to do.

And we are investing in community surgical and diagnostic centres to speed up care while ensuring patients will always pay with their OHIP card, not their credit card.

Pour offrir des soins plus commodes aux personnes et aux familles, nous allons élargir encore davantage le champ d’exercice des pharmaciens afin qu’ils puissent soigner un plus grand nombre d’affections courantes pour lesquelles ils sont hautement qualifiés.

Et nous investissons dans des établissements de santé autonomes pour accélérer les soins et faire en sorte que les patients paieront toujours avec leur carte Santé, et non avec leur carte de crédit.

Our plan includes hiring and training thousands of more health care workers, including doctors.

Our government understands it is challenging for Ontario residents in medical school to find residency spots here at home.

We believe if an Ontario student wants to become a doctor and care for their fellow citizens, the government shouldn’t stand in their way, we should get out of their way.

So we are.

And we will also add 100 seats for medical undergraduates and continue to prioritize Ontario students for these spots.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the pandemic, our government invested billions to protect people, communities and businesses. We went to extraordinary lengths to support our province. Unprecedented times called for unprecedented investments in our pandemic response. Now, as we look ahead, because of the miracle of vaccines, we’re able to move forward. That means starting to wind down COVID-specific spending, which was always intended to be time-limited, and reinvesting in priority areas, like connecting people to family doctors, home care, pediatric care, mental health and addictions supports care, because we’re investing in bringing connected and convenient care to the people of Ontario. So while spending on the pandemic is winding down, investments in a stronger future are ramping up.

Our government will also be investing more to protect our most vulnerable.

Youth leaving the child welfare system are at a higher risk of being trafficked or experiencing homelessness.

That is why our government is providing $170 million over three years to the Ready, Set, Go Program which supports the success of youth leaving child welfare care.

Les jeunes qui quittent le système de bien-être de l’enfance sont plus susceptibles d’être victimes de la traite de personnes ou d’être en situation d’itinérance.

C’est pourquoi notre gouvernement consacre 170 millions de dollars sur trois ans au programme À vos marques, prêts, partez, qui aide les jeunes à réussir lorsqu’ils quittent le système de bien-être de l’enfance.

We are also expanding program eligibility, which currently ends at 21 years old, to include those up to 23 years old.

And, Mr. Speaker, we are also acting now to keep Ontario communities safe.

We are providing resources to local police and communities to protect law-abiding citizens from illegal gun and gang violence.

Some measures—such as bail reform—must be taken on by the federal government.

There are too many criminals who should be behind bars who have been allowed to roam our streets due to weak federal laws.

The time for action is overdue.

There are too many criminals who should be behind bars, and that’s why we’re acting.

Mr. Speaker, I want to close with our plan for a strong Ontario, which is truly a comprehensive plan.

For everything we do is connected.

We are tapping into the resources of Ontario’s north to supply the critical minerals that can be used in modern electric vehicle batteries that can be produced right here in Ontario.

This new, modern manufacturing, in turn, depends on a stable supply of skilled workers, supported by private-sector unions who will ensure they have the training and other supports they need.

These workers will revitalize local communities that in turn help us build the modern highways, transit, hospitals, schools, broadband and other infrastructure that Ontario families need.

This strong economy is what allows us to invest in health care, housing, and safer streets, while staying on course for a balanced budget.

That is the Ontario I want to see.

I believe that is what all Ontarians want to see.

Cette économie forte est ce qui nous permet d’investir dans les soins de santé, d’investir dans le logement et d’investir dans des rues plus sûres, tout en maintenant le cap sur l’équilibre budgétaire.

Voilà l’Ontario que je veux voir.

And Mr. Speaker.

With these global economic challenges, the road ahead remains uncertain.

And so, our job is not done.

We must continue with our flexible, prudent approach so we can be ready to take on challenges that come our way, while still delivering on our plan.

We can do it.

We can build it.

And we can build it, Mr. Speaker, right here in Ontario.

We have the right plan.

We have the right Premier.

We have the right team.

Mr. Speaker. This is our plan to build an Ontario that will continue to have a resilient economy.

An Ontario that has the best infrastructure in place in the world.

An Ontario that has skilled workers trained for the jobs of tomorrow.

An Ontario that connects you to the care you need.

An Ontario that has a bright future for you, for your family and generations to come.

An Ontario, Mr. Speaker, that is strong.

Now, let’s get this budget passed.

Let’s get it done.

Thank you.