Mr. Speaker, we reject the premise that it’s an either/or proposition. This Progressive Conservative government is going to give support to parents while increasing investments in public education. We can do both in this province, and we owe it to parents to do both. It’s so critical at a time of rising national inflation, the cost-of-living challenge—I find it a bit bizarre for New Democrats and Liberals to oppose measures even if they incrementally provide $50, $100, $200, $400, as we’ve done in the past year over the pandemic. That makes a difference, and parents in this province want more of it, not less. We’re going to increase investments for public education, as announced by the Minister of Finance, by 615 million more dollars for this September—a learning recovery plan that leads the nation with $175 million in tutoring supports for the publicly funded schools the member opposite rightfully speaks about.

We agree it is important these kids get back on track, and the most important thing we can do, in addition to the dollars, is to have a resolute commitment to keep the kids in class, and our government will deliver that for the kids of this province.

My constituent Andrew reached out to me saying, “I make decent money as an engineer but there is no way I will be able to afford a house in the next 10 years. It makes me want to leave. Many believe that zoning and supply are the issues, but demand is artificially generated by those who are rich enough to speculate and pay cash. Their greed will never run out.”

Speaker, every housing expert notes that supply alone didn’t create the housing crisis; speculators with insider connections did.

What is this government doing to stop the rampant speculation taking home ownership out of reach for young families and tenants?

Speaker, while encampments grow in every Ontario city, why is this government worsening inflation by allowing a historic rent increase?

Thank you to the member from Brampton North for that very good question. Russia’s war in the Ukraine, tension in Asia and inflation that we haven’t seen in four decades are driving up global prices, but this government will always be there for the people of Ontario in these uncertain times. That is why our government raised the minimum wage, and will raise it again in October to $15.50 an hour. That is why we eliminated the need for licence plate stickers and renewal fees, saving drivers up to $120 per year. That’s why we’re proposing the enhanced LIFT tax credit, providing additional relief for those making less than $50,000 a year. With this change, 1.1 million low-income workers would see an additional $300 on average in tax relief in 2022.

The best way to support workers and families is to put more money back into their pockets, Mr. Speaker, and that’s exactly what this government is doing.

Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, for families trying to make ends meet, high gas prices are never a blessing in disguise. This government understands that high gas prices are a financial burden on many Ontarians, taking hard-earned money out of their pockets—for families, for workers and for seniors. That’s why this government is focused on keeping costs down. That’s why this government eliminated the Liberals’ cap-and-trade tax scheme. This government temporarily cut the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre through our Tax Relief at the Pumps Act.

Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. According to Statistics Canada, the price of gas fell furthest in Ontario because of our gas tax—