Is it the same Toronto board of trade that I went to, that had overwhelming support on our policies of creating economic development, creating 700,000 jobs, making sure we’re building new homes?

We’re getting shovels in the ground. We’re going to hit our 1.5-million target.

Mr. Speaker, compared to the NDP and Liberals that lost 300,000 jobs, didn’t open up long-term care, didn’t build hospitals, closed 600 schools, we’re doing the opposite. We’re building schools, building highways, building bridges, making sure that we get the infrastructure—the $184 billion we’re spending on infrastructure to make sure we continue going, make sure we’re a leader in North America in economic development, job creation and housing.

Thank you for the question.

Mr. Speaker, it’s so rich coming from that member, from that party.

I want to say, when we put $6 million to increase staffing, these members voted against it. When we put $72 million for the criminal case backlog, these members did not support it. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about funding the police, they say, “Defund the police.” When we say support victims, they say, “Build the administration.” When we say we want to modernize, they say, “No, we like our fax machines.”

I’ll take no lessons from that member, from that party.

Interjections.

This government is failing to adequately staff Toronto’s newest Ontario Court of Justice facility. In September, a man charged with sexually assaulting a minor walked free because his case took too long to get to trial. Last week, another sexual assault charge against a rapist was stayed and his case was also thrown out because of the long court delay. What a waste of Toronto police resources.

Speaker, despite this government’s claim that they are fixing the courts, the Ministry of the Attorney General saw a base-funding cut in the fall economic statement. How is the Premier justifying funding cuts to the court system when he is already failing survivors?

I do appreciate the question because it allows us to shine a spotlight on the fact that the regressive, horrible carbon tax is pressing the farmers to no end.

Ladies and gentlemen, the grain corns coming off the fields—in our farm, we harvested last weekend and our corn ran at 23% moisture. We were happy about that because it meant we would have to use less propane to dry down the corn so it wouldn’t spoil in storage. Why does that matter? It matters because we want a good-quality product that is food grade so we can be producing food close to home.

The member is absolutely right when he says the carbon tax is driving up the cost of doing business on farm, because it’s driving up the cost of drying our crops and it’s driving up the cost of heating our farms.

The Grain Farmers of Ontario have said by the time the carbon tax triples in 2030, it’s going to cost farmers 2.7 billion extra dollars. And who is ultimately going to pay that? Consumers.

I had the honour of opening the Ontario pavilion at the largest food show in North America on Monday in Chicago, the Private Label show. I was so proud of our Ontario businesses—from Georgetown to Newmarket and all places in between. When I spoke to them, they were doing their best, but they’re concerned about their competitiveness because the cost of their products coming from the millers in terms of baked goods is going through the roof. Why? Because that carbon tax is making its way through every step of the value chain.

I would respectfully submit to the independent Liberals that they need to jump in their minivan, drive to Ottawa, and tell those senators to stop playing games and vote and support C-234.

My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Farmers in my community of Essex county are being punished because of the federal carbon tax. Many farmers need to use massive fans to dry down their crops in order to store them over long periods of time. If not properly dried, their grains and their corn will grow mould. Many of those fans are powered by natural gas, which is now subject to the federal carbon tax. Because of this regressive and crippling tax, farmers are having to pay additional costs of approximately $2,000 or $3,000 every year.

Farmers in my community of Essex county need our government to stand with them and oppose this regressive and harmful tax. Speaker, can the minister please explain how the federal carbon tax is negatively impacting farmers in Essex county and across Ontario?

But because of the federal carbon tax, many farmers are being hurt financially. Many farmers now have to pay thousands of dollars more in natural gas bills because of the regressive and harmful federal carbon tax. That’s not right and it’s simply not fair.

That’s why we need all members of this Legislature, especially the independent Liberals and opposition NDP, to understand the financial pain that the federal carbon tax is causing on so many people.

Speaker, can the minister please explain what impact the carbon tax is having on families in Ontario?

I do appreciate the answer from the minister. I want to underline that consumption sites have a role to play in addressing the opioid crisis, but the solution cannot end there. People who have challenges with addictions are health care patients needing treatment. Providing those who are addicted with a safe place to use drugs may protect them from overdose in the short-term, but it does nothing to address the underlying illness.

We need to take a holistic approach to addiction in this province. Last week, I did ask the Minister of Health to approve the request for a proposed nurse-practitioner-led clinic that could provide much-needed addictions and mental health services. Consumption sites cannot be stand-alone facilities. They must be truly connected to health care and mental health treatments, food banks, housing and other social services so that we can actually help address the underlying issues that lead to addiction.

What step is the minister taking to ensure that the consumption sites in my riding actually connect those who are addicted with the health care and social services that they need to get better?

Well, let me state it very, very clearly: For us, public safety is a primary concern. As we said, there is an ongoing review with respect to the consumption and treatment sites in the province as a result of the tragic incident that occurred at Leslieville this summer. That review is going to help us determine the path forward and how we can better protect the people using the services in the communities where they’re located.

Again, public safety is a primary concern. Until the review is complete, decisions about the sites are on pause. I can, however, assure you that your concern is noted, and I would love to continue discussing that with you in terms of how this came to be and where things stand and perhaps look at that specifically as part of that review process.

This government—the first government to have a minister responsible for mental health and addictions—is looking at these problems from the standpoint of a multi-ministerial approach to ensure that the investments are there for the individual, so that once the treatment is completed, they have an opportunity to reintegrate into housing, a job and everything else the rest of us want in the province. That’s what this government is doing, and we will continue doing that.

I’d like to share with the member opposite that it’s our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, that listens to the beef farmers and all of our commodity organizations in our coalition that were asking for support. When we came into power in 2018, we listened and we responded by increasing the Risk Management Program—and that program is working. That program has done so well. I can tell you with absolute certainty that our grain farmers of Ontario were kept whole because of the progressiveness and assertiveness we’ve addressed that program with, and beef farmers of Ontario have benefited from the manner in which the Risk Management Program is being facilitated in this province. It actually worked for them this year and they’re being kept whole—and I can’t wait until next Monday when I make an announcement that absolutely demonstrates how we continue to support farmers in Ontario.

Ladies and gentlemen, I can’t wait to share our announcement on Monday as a perfect example of how our government continues to listen and we continue to get the job done for Ontario farmers.

My question is to the Minister of Agriculture. At the beginning of October, the beef farmers were here for their annual lobby day, and during question period, the member from Peterborough–Kawartha lobbed a question over to the minister asking how the government is ensuring the beef sector continues to fuel the economy. The minister reiterated contributions beef farmers make but made no mention of the requested $100 million bump-up to the Risk Management Program, the number one reason the beef farmers were here that day. RMP not only benefits beef but also fruit, vegetable, grain/hort, oilseed, lamb, veal and pork producers.

Speaker, that same day the minister said, “Ontario beef farmers understand that they finally have a government that listens and understands.” And this morning, we keep hearing about the carbon tax and how it is hurting our farmers. It is indeed regressive and unfair, but there’s a saying where I come from: Maybe you should stick to your knitting. Because this government has an avenue, it has an opportunity to support our farmers.

If this government and the minister have listened and understood, why haven’t Ontario farmers seen an increase to RMP?

The return on investment is highly profitable. For every dollar paid through RMP and SDRM, gross economic output is increased by between $2 and $3.60. We need the next generation of farmers to take responsibility for producing food, and the RMP plays a critical role in ensuring that will happen.

When will the minister strengthen Ontario’s food security and the sustainability of the ag sectors by increasing RMP funding to $250 million?

I will reiterate that any lost trial and any closed courtroom are not acceptable to this government. That is why we’re picking up the pieces that were left behind by this group, and this group—because although they feign concern, they’re just chasing headlines and politicizing people’s tragedies. They’re doing nothing—

Interjections.

Despite the political spin, what we do know is that there is a base-funding cut from this ministry. In this incident, Judge Brock Jones said, “There is no reason this case could not have been completed ... had the courts been properly staffed. Instead, two full days of court time were” wasted “and [the case] adjourned.”

In an interview with CTV, Emily of Fergus, Ontario, the survivor, was devastated after her case was tossed, and she shared this comment:

“I crumbled,” she said. “It took so much to even do that first step of giving my statement to the police and [going to] the hospital. Then, a year and a half later, I decided to go back to Toronto to do this trial, face this man, and tell my story.

“Now it’s just over.”

Speaker, what does the Premier have to say to Emily and all the survivors seeking justice after allowing their rapist to walk free?

Order. The supplementary question.

Thanks to my colleague the member for Hastings–Lennox and Addington and my neighbour in eastern Ontario.

Do you know what else doesn’t work? The federal carbon tax. It doesn’t work for anybody. It doesn’t even work for the federal government. The federal government told us, when they implemented the carbon tax, that it was going to reduce emissions and that people were going to get back more than they put in through the carbon tax rebate. We now know that both of those things aren’t true. The Bank of Canada has confirmed that the carbon tax is driving up inflation across our province, making things more expensive. And we now know that a federal agency, the Commissioner of the Environment, has reported that the federal government is going to miss their own emissions targets.

So what have we accomplished here? All we have accomplished with the federal carbon tax is driving people into energy poverty. They didn’t drive down emissions; they drove up the cost of everything. They’re 0-for-2, Mr. Speaker.

It’s time to scrap this tax.

We know that the federal carbon tax is just driving up the cost of everything. It’s making it more expensive for that mom taking her kids to hockey practice. It’s making it more expensive for our local police services to operate because the price of rolling vehicles through our streets to make sure they’re safe is driving up the cost for them.

For people that are heating their home, this is having a negative impact. The federal government chose to carve out Atlantic Canada from the carbon tax, yet the federal Liberal caucus makes up half of their caucus in Ottawa. Why are they not carving out home heating costs for the people of Ontario? It’s a very, very fair question. And why is the Ontario Liberal caucus, as small as it is, continuing to support their federal cousins in Ottawa? It’s time to scrap this tax once and for all.

Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy.

With the carbon tax set to increase rapidly by 2030, this will mean substantial increases in the cost of heat, gas and grocery bills for hard-working individuals and families.

In rural and northern Ontario, families are struggling to keep the heat on. In some areas of this province, the temperature can drop to minus 30 in the winter.

Increasing the carbon tax will only mean higher expenses at a time when Ontario families are already struggling because of high interest rates.

For those of us who live in Ontario’s rural, remote and northern communities, the effects of the carbon tax are disastrous. It’s not fair or right that rural and northern Ontarians are being forced to pay more because of where they live.

Can the minister please share his views on the disparity of the federal carbon tax and its negative impact on the rural people of Ontario?

While the federal government recognizes the hardship that this tax is causing for Atlantic Canadians, apparently they fail to understand that many individuals and families across Ontario are also struggling. By exempting only heating oil from Atlantic Canada from that carbon tax, the federal government sends a strong message that not everyone is being treated equally. The people of Ontario should not be punished by this regressive and harmful tax while other provinces are being exempted.

Can the minister please share his views about the far-reaching negative impact that this regressive carbon tax is having on the lives of so many Ontarians?

I thank my honourable colleague for that very important question. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, with the rising cost of everything now in the province, we know that the people are feeling it, which is why the Minister of Energy clearly mentioned that we need to do better at all levels of government to make sure we get rid of the punishing carbon tax that adds a cost to everything.

I can tell you, as a government, through a $96-million investment that we’re making through the Ontario Trillium Foundation to community partners, including food banks—on top of that, for our students, so that students don’t go hungry, we increased the Student Nutrition Program. We raised the minimum wage. We’re removing tolls from highways. We kept the 10% savings at the gas pump. Mr. Speaker, we are making life more affordable for Ontarians at a time when we know life is more unaffordable. We ask the opposition to support us in this.

The supports will be there for Ontarians who need it, but under the leadership of Premier Ford, the manufacturing jobs—those good-paying jobs that left the province of Ontario—are coming back, thanks to this Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Again, I ask my colleagues across to work with us, to ask the federal government to remove the punishing carbon tax that adds to the cost of everything in this province, and let life be—

The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

This House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1148 to 1300.

I’d like to thank the Elliott family for this petition.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ontario government assisted in the preservation of 123 acres of ecologically significant lands at Upper Cedar Creek in Harrow and Hillman Sand Hills near Hillman Marsh in Essex county; and

“Whereas the Ontario government is a leader in conservation within Canada; and

“Whereas Ontario’s world-class system of protected areas, which includes 340 provincial parks and 296 conservation reserves, covers almost 11% of Ontario and grows every year;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That the Ontario government continue to consult with the public, stakeholders and Indigenous communities as we continue to expand Ontario’s vast network of protected lands and secure our natural heritage for future generations.”

I endorse this petition. I will sign it and give it to page Eoife to bring to the Clerks’ table.

This petition is entitled “For Fair and Equitable Compensation for Nurses,” and I’m pleased to present it on behalf of RNAO and health care professionals from Etobicoke, Scarborough, Mississauga and Brantford. It reads as follows:

“Whereas the government has a responsibility to ensure safe and healthy workplaces and workloads for nurses by enhancing nurse staffing and supports across all sectors of the health system;

“Whereas the RN-to-population ratio in Ontario is the lowest in Canada and Ontario would need 24,000 RNs to catch up with the rest of the country;

“Whereas there are over 10,000 registered nurse vacancies in Ontario;

“Whereas nurses are experiencing very high levels of burnout;

“Whereas registered nurses have experienced real wage losses of about 10% over the last decade;

“Whereas the government of Ontario needs to retain and recruit nurses across all sectors of the system to provide quality care for Ontarians;

“Whereas the Ontario government needs to retain and recruit RNs to meet their legislative commitment of four hours of daily direct care for long-term-care ... residents;

“Whereas wage inequities across the health system make it particularly difficult to retain and recruit RNs to community care sectors, such as long-term care and home care;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to implement evidence-based recommendations to retain and recruit nurses, including fair and equitable compensation that is competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada and the United States.”

It’s my pleasure to affix my signature and give this petition to page Scarlett.

It’s my great honour to present the following stack of hundreds of petitions on behalf of the hard-working teachers of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Thames Valley Teacher Local. The petition reads:

“Keep Classrooms Safe for Students and Staff.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas students and education workers deserve stronger, safer schools in which to learn and work;

“Whereas the pressure placed on our education system has contributed to an increase in reports of violence in our schools;

“Whereas crowded classrooms, a lack of support for staff, and underfunding of mental health supports are all contributing to this crisis;

“Whereas the government of Ontario has the responsibility and tools to address this crisis, but has refused to act;

“Therefore, we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“Take immediate action to address violence in our schools;

“Invest in more mental health resources;

“End violence against education workers and improve workplace violence reporting.”

I fully support this petition—I could not support it any more. I will affix my signature and deliver it with page Emma to the clerks.