Ontario is leading the country as one of the few provinces to provide seniors access to the high-quality dental care that they deserve. I want to remind the member opposite that in 2021 we actually reduced the qualifying income by over 10%, making it easier for more seniors to access this program. In 2023 we had the highest total number of renewed clients, with over 81,000, up from 69,000 the year before. And we have some innovative public health units that are actually providing dental care directly to patients so that they don’t have to travel.

We’re making the changes and we’re leading that innovation to ensure that people have access in their community, where they need it.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine—including every other medical school in the province of Ontario—has 20 additional residency positions under this government. We have made those expansions—at least 20.

To sit and hear the NDP talk about the investments that need to happen—where were you when we were doing as-of-right in the province of Ontario, legislatively saying, “If you have a licence and can practise in any part of Canada, you can come to Ontario and immediately start working while your licence is getting passed.” Where were the NDP? Respectfully, they were saying, “No, not appropriate.” Where were the NDP when we were writing the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and saying, “Please, you must—I direct you to make sure individuals who are waiting on those lists to get assessed and ultimately licensed to practise in”—