I want to thank my friend from Chatham-Kent–Leamington. He’s absolutely right for asking the question. Who would believe that when you think of public safety, it costs more because of the carbon tax? Police officers, firefighters, special constables, all the first responders that drive cars to keep our place safe have to pay the carbon tax in every gasoline fill-up they make. The carbon tax has made a crucial operation that keeps our communities safe so expensive. And Mr. Speaker, we’re talking about thousands of automobiles. We’re talking about 4,000 automobiles alone at the OPP. This is millions of dollars of wasted money that could be used to keep our province safe.

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. We’re calling on the federal government to do the right thing and get rid of the tax.

Interjection.

This time of the year, many police services all across Ontario are fixing their budgets, and it is so obvious that one of the lines in the budget is the fuel needed to pay for the gas that runs the cars. On each gallon of gas, on each litre of gas there is carbon tax, and it’s millions of dollars of wasted money.

Our communities have a right to be safe. We have a right to be safe in our own homes and communities, and the carbon tax is adding to every municipal police services budget and the OPP. So I’d like to say to the members opposite from places like Sudbury, Ottawa and Hamilton, ask your police chiefs if they have to pay the carbon tax and tell your federal friends in Ottawa, “Get rid of it.”

Interjections.

Thank you to my colleague across for the question. Any death is too many. Any death is a tragedy. And as my friend opposite knows, we do not speak to an ongoing inquest. It would be completely inappropriate. She also knows, Mr. Speaker, that the purpose of an inquest is to determine the circumstances surrounding a death and, if appropriate, make recommendations that may prevent further deaths. Our government continuously works to make sure policies in corrections are in line with best practices.

Again, Mr. Speaker, this is a complex issue, and we cannot speak to an ongoing inquest.

I’ve seen it for myself as I’ve toured our correctional complexes: I have met with the native inmate liaison officers—the NILOs; I’ve met with the chaplains. Mr. Speaker, I stay close in contact with the OPSEU union representatives as well. And at the end of the day, our government is taking this matter seriously, and we will reduce, where possible, and eliminate inmate experiences in segregation conditions.