This government’s cuts to education mean our kids aren’t getting all of the supports they need and deserve in schools. There are educational assistants running back and forth in hallways with walkie-talkies trying to figure out which kid needs help the most. Parents are getting a phone call saying, “Your child can’t come to school today; there’s no EA available.”

The government claimed all the disruption it caused to our kids’ school year with Bill 28 was to support our kids. So why is the Premier refusing to bargain a deal that ensures every child gets the support they need with no more disruptions to the school year?

Custodial staff do such important work to keep kids safe, but we’ve got schools where teachers and principals are forced to fill in for shortages because of custodians missing, schools with libraries closed because there’s no library worker.

If the government is serious about making up for learning loss and giving kids a normal school year, why is the Premier refusing to negotiate a deal with real investments and throwing things into chaos once again?

Speaker, we know from the Financial Accountability Office that this government isn’t investing enough to support our students. They are underfunding education by $400 million this year, and they will be short $6 billion over the next six years.

Education workers are fighting for our kids.

Will the government do the right thing and make the investments needed to ensure our schools remain good places to learn?

Thank you to the member for that question.

In fact, when this government came into power in 2018, tuition in Ontario was the highest in Canada. To help students, we decreased tuition by 10% and froze that tuition since then. What we are doing is there to support students, to make education accessible for all learners in Ontario, so we can access the world-class education that’s happening here, at colleges, universities and private career colleges in this province.

It’s this government that is standing up for students by decreasing tuition and freezing tuition, and, in fact, making OSAP eligibility for micro-credentials, for Indigenous institutes—to allow more and more learners to access the education opportunities in this province.

We will continue to work for—

Interjection.