I’m just trying to see—what have I got, 16 minutes left? Is that what that says?

Interjection: Six.

I just wanted to give the members an update from this morning about the St. Lawrence Seaway. I listened to the news at 12 o’clock, and if that dispute doesn’t get settled in the next two days there’s going to be a number of communities in the province of Ontario that have no gas. So do whatever you can do to talk to your leadership, to get a hold of the federal government as well to put some pressure to get that resolved. It’s really going to start to hit home in the next couple of days.

I want to start where I left off. I was talking about access to local health services, essential for the well-being of our communities. I’m going to turn my attention to Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s concerning that there’s a lack of primary care services in my town. We know—or we should know, people who have been to Niagara-on-the-Lake—you closed the hospital there in Niagara-on-the-Lake, so we don’t have a hospital in Niagara-on-the-Lake anymore, unfortunately. I believe, as I said in my question this morning to the health minister, every resident deserves access to a family doctor or a nurse practitioner, yet many are left without this basic health care need. I am fully aware of the urgency of the situation and I have been actively advocating for a solution.

The arrival of a nurse practitioner in Niagara-on-the-Lake would be a positive step, not only for the residents but also for this government. Nurse practitioners play a critical role in our health care system, providing essential primary care services. They could bridge the gap and ensure that residents have access to timely and reliable health care. We cannot afford essential health care facilities like Fort Erie urgent care to close. We must work to prevent the privatization of our health care system.

Again, I’m going to talk just a little bit about Fort Erie: 25% of the residents in Fort Erie are seniors. You guys stand up and talk about how much you care about seniors. We have to do better for them. The residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake deserve access to primary care services, and the introduction of a nurse practitioner could be a great step moving forward. Unlike the government, I remain committed to advocating for the health care needs of our community and will continue to fight for better health care services for all—including in your ridings, by the way.

Madam Speaker, let’s take a look at the name of this bill. It includes two very common Conservative catchphrases: “cut red tape”—we’ve heard that before, many times, even in this House—but the one that they’ve added, which is why I’m arguing I can continue to speak on this, is “common sense.” I think everything I’m bringing forward today is common sense. We heard it for eight years under the Mike Harris government. What happened when they brought forward common sense was they closed hospitals, they laid off nurses—again, all in the name of cutting red tape. I’m trying to figure out why we go down this path of saying “common sense.”

The rationale is always about supporting businesses—“We need to cut red tape to allow business to thrive in this province.” However, they very rarely mean small or medium-sized businesses. Look how they are currently treating Ontario’s wine industry, a very, very important industry not only to Niagara but I believe right across the province of Ontario.

We have, without a doubt, some of the best small and medium-size wineries in the world. They are fighting to ensure this government listens to them and provides the necessary support for them to flourish. We have the potential to really grow that industry in Niagara. I know there’s been lots of proposals being talked about with the government, but if they want to cut red tape—and this is certainly one that can fall under “it’s not in the bill but it should be”—they could start with the 6.1% basic tax here on wineries here in Ontario.

Ontario’s wine industry has come a long way, and it now stands as one of the jewels in the crown of our province’s agricultural sector. This industry has seen remarkable growth, and the Niagara region has played a pivotal role in this success story. With its unique microclimate and fertile soil, Niagara has become the best of Ontario’s grape production. The region boasts some of the best wineries, numerous vineyards, and is home to an impressive number of wineries, making it a world-renowned wine-producing region.

This is really interesting; you should listen to this. Niagara has a very distinct climate. It’s responsible for a significant portion of grapes that are used in the production of high-quality Ontario wines. You may or may not know—the members who are listening—that 90% of the grapes are grown in Niagara—90%. It shows how valuable the grape industry is and the wine industry is to Niagara. These grapes give our wines that unique and delightful character, and I’m sure everybody in the House who has tried Niagara wines will say they taste great. The Niagara region is a beacon for wine enthusiasts and tourists from around the globe and it plays an essential role in promoting Ontario’s rich heritage.

Here’s how we can fix it and we can cut red tape: Promoting local wines through the LCBO is crucial for the success of our homegrown wineries. By enhancing the presence of local wines on LCBO shelves, we not only support our local winemakers; we also give the consumer more opportunity to experience the unique flavours our province has to offer.

What’s happening in Niagara—and I’m meeting with them tomorrow—is we have grapes that are going to sit on the vines and they’re probably just going to end up on the ground because we continue to allow, on some of our wines that aren’t VQA 100% Ontario wines, blended wineries. We end up importing grapes, importing wine into our communities. It makes no sense. So I’m really asking the government to really listen to the grape industry to make sure that our grapes are 100% grown in Ontario and are not going to rot on the vine. I don’t have the number, but I believe it’s something like $40 million. It’s something that I really want to—