This Sunday, April 9, we’ll observe Vimy Ridge Day. This is a day when we’ll remember thousands of Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the battle of Vimy Ridge.

On April 9, 1917, on a cold Easter Monday in northern France, Canadian soldiers braved rain, mud and machine gun bullets to capture Vimy Ridge. This battle marked a turning point in our history as four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time. It brought together young men in their late teens and early twenties, united to fight for freedom.

While Canada emerged victorious at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, it came at a tremendous cost. Nearly 3,600 Canadians died, and more than 7,000 were wounded, making it one of the bloodiest battles in Canadian history.

In 2010, Bill 19, An Act to proclaim Vimy Ridge Day, was passed. Members from all parties in the Legislature unanimously came together in support of this legislation.

Ensuring that we never forget the sacrifices made by these brave soldiers, this Sunday flags at the Ontario Legislature will be lowered to half-mast in their honour.

Among the World War I veterans who were there in Europe was my grandfather Robert Irwin Crawford.

Let’s take this time to remember the brave soldiers who fought to defend our freedom, our rights and our democracy. May they rest in peace. Lest we forget.

I have the privilege of welcoming to the Legislature today some wonderful constituents from the riding of Niagara West. We have with us today Joshua and Yvonne Bulk, along with their children, Ella, Otto, Charlotte and Theodore.

Welcome to the Legislature today. It’s good to have you here.

Of course, we have been fighting right since the beginning, since 2018, to restore Ontario’s fiscal situation, and we’ve been doing an extraordinary job at that. In fact, not only have we restored fiscal sanity in the province of Ontario, we’ve done it while at the same time cutting taxes for the people of the province of Ontario, reducing costs to our small, medium and large job creators to the tune of over $8 billion, which has seen our income rise by over $50 billion—$50 billion. We’ve done it while stabilizing electricity rates. We’ve done it while investing a record amount in infrastructure—nationwide, a leading amount in infrastructure—while building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term-care beds, while building new schools. We’re seeing thousands of jobs come back to the province, billions of dollars in economic activity. And we’re doing it because we have had a plan since 2018. That plan is working, and today Ontario again led the nation in job creation, something—

Speaker, it’s my honour to introduce two London members here today: HMCS Prevost Commander Chief Petty Officer Second Class A. Rooney, coxswain, and HMCS Prevost Lieutenant Commander Paul Hong, commanding officer.

Welcome to the Legislature, and thank you for your service.

I, too, want to welcome the Royal Canadian Navy reservists, on behalf of Premier Ford and the government of Ontario. Thank you for your service not only to Ontario, to Canada. Thank you for all your support and assistance as we brought forward military reservist leave to support all of our men and women in uniform.

I’d like to give a very warm welcome to two of my constituents, Chanel Wallace and Sylvia Smith, who are joining us for question period.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to welcome Leah Wilson, my new OLIP intern, and Vyssnavi Vaseekaran, my new constituency assistant.

Welcome to the Ontario Legislature today.

Speaker, this Conservative government failed to notice $10.8 million being siphoned off by a senior bureaucrat—money that was intended to support families during the worst of the pandemic. And the Liberal government before that failed to notice $36.6 million stolen through a computer consultant scam by the same thief. He could do this, in large part, due to the fact that this government and others are over-relying on expensive, private consulting firms.

To the Premier: Will he cut down on his government’s use of overpriced consultants to protect public money?

From the Bayview Cummer Neighbourhood Association and father of Willowdale page Evelyn, my friend Paul Yeung—welcome to the Legislature.

It’s an honour and a privilege to welcome Lieutenant Commander Farley Farn, executive officer with the HMCS Griffon, Thunder Bay.

Welcome, Dawson.

I’d like to introduce the rest of the members of the Royal Canadian Navy reserve. We have Commander Christopher Knowlton; Commander Francois Desjardins; Lieutenant Commander Michelle Moore; Commander Richard Hillier; Lieutenant Commander Chris Elliot; Commander Paul Hong; Commander, Chief Petty Officer Second Class A. Rooney; Lieutenant Commander Michael Di Berardo; Lieutenant Commander Daniel Karpenchuk; Lieutenant Commander Jack ‘tMannetje; and Acting Sub-Lieutenant Diego Ortiz.

Please join me in giving them all a round of applause.

Applause.

C’est vraiment avec plaisir que je veux souhaiter la bienvenue ici aujourd’hui à Rachel Gouin, qui est directrice générale du CAP, qui est un institut vraiment important à Ottawa–Vanier qui donne des soins de santé mentale et de dépendances—so mental health and addictions. She is accompanied by Linda Godin. Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

Today in the gallery, I’d like to welcome Central Region captain from the Royal Canadian Navy, Sean Batte; Central Region chief representative, Chief Petty Officer Second Class Jason Semenzow.

Welcome to your House.

I know that the rest of you are going to be introduced by your MPPs from your region.

Thank you for coming.

It is my great honour this morning to welcome to Queen’s Park from HMCS Star, Hamilton, Lieutenant Commander Michael Di Berardo, commanding officer. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

This morning I got a little cut off there, so I want to recognize Mohammed, who owns a new bakery in my community. It’s the first time for him, coming to Queen’s Park. He has a Lebanese background, and he has been doing great business in our community. By the way, he’s also a police officer from my area. He has been doing great work out there.

I’d like to also recognize my staff: Omar Farhat, my executive assistant, and Victoria Gangadeen, my constituency assistant.

I welcome them all to Queen’s Park today.

It is my honour and pleasure to introduce to the Legislature today two bright young students here, alongside a former federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable Navdeep Bains. I would like to welcome my friends Alexa Sherer, a grade 11 student from TanenbaumCHAT; and Lachlan Ross, a grade 11 student from Northview Heights Secondary School. Our youth are our future, and we’re happy to keep these seats warm until they’re ready to take our spot.

I also would like to introduce a large group of nurses who are joining us from the Ontario Poison Centre—Crissy Amiana, Jacqueline Burke, Marie-Christine Ceganda, Mailyne Garraz, and my sister Faiza Shamji.

The Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery has a point of order, I believe.

It is now time to say a word of thanks to our legislative pages. Our pages are smart, trustworthy and hard-working. They are indispensable to the effective functioning of this chamber, and we are very fortunate to have had them here.

To our pages: You depart having made many new friends, with a greater understanding of parliamentary democracy and memories that will last a lifetime. Each of you will go home and continue your studies, and no doubt, you will contribute to your communities, your province and your country in significant ways. We expect great things from all of you. Maybe someday some of you will take your seats in this House as members or work here as staff—who knows? We wish you all well.

Please join me in thanking our legislative pages.

Applause.

To respond, the Minister of Finance.

Stop the clock.

The government side will come to order so that I can hear the Leader of the Opposition.

Restart the clock.

Leader of the Opposition.

Start the clock.

The minister has some time.

Obviously, since we’ve taken office back in 2018, we’ve done an extraordinary job of ensuring that the people of the province of Ontario are well served by their government. That has included, of course, a reduction in the use of outside consultants, but at the same time it is clear that we had two years’ worth of a pandemic and, on occasion, we did need to have some outside assistance. What has that meant for the people of the province of Ontario? It has meant a province that led not only North America—but one of the leaders, in terms of the entire planet, in getting us beyond COVID. What does that mean? That means that Ontario again is leading the nation in job creation.

So I understand why the Leader of the Opposition is talking about anything other than creating jobs, because we’re leading the nation in terms of job creation. I know why she doesn’t want to talk about infrastructure, because we are leading the nation in terms of building infrastructure. I know why they don’t want to talk about energy, because we’ve stabilized it when they tried to destroy it.

On every single measure, Ontario is leading North America. I think it’s something to be proud of.

But at the same time, I know why they don’t want to talk specifically about building homes for the people of the province of Ontario—because when they had the balance of power, along with the Liberals, what did they do? They put obstacles in the way, which has led us to a crisis of housing in Ontario. Imagine: Ontario, somewhere that I think Italy fits into 34 times—and we have a housing crisis here in the province of Ontario. Do you know why that is? Because the policies that they support day in and day out stop people from being able to develop. In Stouffville, I have a developer who wants to build, and 12 years later, only now was able to get a shovel in the ground, because of those policies.

Thanks to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, we’re taking away those obstacles. We’re building homes for the people of the province of Ontario.

We’re leading the nation in job creation yet again.

Ontario is on the move. We’re on the right track, and I hope you’ll support us on that.

What we’ve said from the right beginning, right from 2018, is that we had to build more homes in the province of Ontario—because that was virtually stopped under the Liberal-NDP coalition in this province. People could not build homes. People could not find new homes.

We knew that a Conservative government would restore the economy of this province, that millions of people would want to flood back into Ontario, that billions of dollars of investments would want to come back to the province of Ontario.

What are we seeing? Month after month after month, Ontario is leading the nation in terms of job creation; yet again, today, we’re doing it. It is built on the back of the investments that we’re making through the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

We have a bill in front of this House today by the Minister of Red Tape Reduction which will continue to take away obstacles to job creation and growth. I hope the NDP will do the right thing and support that and support the thousands of people who finally have the dignity of a job because of the policies of this government. That—

I guess it is a tough time to be the leader of His Majesty’s opposition. It’s a tough time, when you’re leading in terms of job creation. It’s a tough time, when you’re leading in terms of building infrastructure. It’s a tough time, when you’re leading in terms of building new schools. It’s a tough time, when the Minister of Labour has reopened the economy to allow people to get jobs right here. I understand why they’re so upset.

But this is also a good time. It’s a good weekend. We’re having Passover. It’s Easter.

The Ontario economy has risen from the dead—which was what the Liberals and NDP brought to this province—and we’re on the right track.