[Inaudible] Mr. Speaker, in making sure that Sault Ste. Marie, like every town, city and Indigenous community across northern Ontario, is fully integrated to a new and modern supply chain. From mines to motors, earth to electric vehicles, we want to ensure that northern communities are in, and one of the important ways we do that is through the Northern Energy Advantage Program. Algoma Steel and Tenaris, Borden mine, Resolute, Evolution Mining, Vale Canada, Impala Canada, GreenFirst Forest Products—they all have something in common; in fact, a few things. They’re rallying behind this program which, under this budget, is going to expand from $120 million to $176 million and increase the scope by which they can access this program so northern communities and northern businesses are in play for this extraordinary opportunity to build Ontario.

Wouldn’t it be neat, Mr. Speaker, if the NDP could support that?

One of the first things we did with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund was ensure we had a stand-alone program to incentivize businesses to hire Indigenous interns—young people who get a chance to work in businesses, for an opportunity to get a job, to keep a job out of the internship program, over 80% retention rate—and support a new opportunity that’s emerging from the revamped Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. That is clear support for Indigenous businesses. In the last quarterly meeting alone, we saw a significant improvement and amount of resources to help Indigenous businesses across northern Ontario that will enable them, in turn, to hire Indigenous people.

We want to make sure in this new modern supply chain that Indigenous people have an opportunity for a prosperous job and a prosperous community moving forward, and that’s what this government is committed to.