My question is for the Premier.

Speaker, MELT stands for mandatory entry-level training. It’s Ontario’s standard for transport truck driver schools. The goal is to replace licence mills with excellent training for drivers.

Unfortunately, there are still some dodgy companies not meeting the MELT standards. And how do they get away with it? Well, the ministry only has eight inspectors monitoring 582 vocational schools, and 260 of these schools provide transport truck driver training. Basically, these eight inspectors are set up to fail.

Speaker, we all know that putting untrained drivers on the road is dangerous.

My question is, will the Conservative government commit to hiring enough inspectors to ensure full compliance with transport truck driver training schools?

Thank you again to the member for the question. I know first-hand the sacrifices entrepreneurs make and the challenges that they face each and every day. That is why I was proud to see the Premier and the Minister of Finance stand up for both businesses and consumers by extending the gas tax cut until June 2024.

For small businesses and families, every dollar counts. By keeping an extra $260 in people’s pockets, this tax cut will allow residents greater ability to support local small businesses, whether buying goods or supporting a local restaurant. For businesses themselves, cheaper fuel means lower transportation expenses, allowing them to save elsewhere, whether it’s delivering products to stores and customers, commuting employees or other necessities.

Speaker, small businesses, including businesses in all of their ridings, shouldn’t be paying Ottawa more just to get less. We call on the NDP and Liberals to join us and tell their federal counterparts that hard-working Ontarians desperately need more money now in their pockets. Axe the tax now.