Thank you to the great member from Whitby for the question.

Speaker, I had the privilege of hearing directly from entrepreneurs across the province. Time and again, they express real concern about the burden of rising costs from the federal carbon tax combined with the upcoming deadlines of the CEBA loan repayments.

The carbon tax inflates expenses at every single step of the supply chain. Whether they’re farmers producing food, manufacturers leveraging our skilled workforce or shops anchoring our main streets, Ontario’s job creators all agree: This punitive tax hits hardest just as they’re getting themselves back on their feet. Many business owners have shared fears it is could force them to reduce staff, raise prices or shut their doors for good.

Unlike the Liberals and NDP, our government is listening to entrepreneurs and taking action on affordability. If the opposition truly cared about the businesses in their ridings, they’d join us in calling on Ottawa to scrap the tax.

Every day I meet inspirational entrepreneurs who are pouring their hearts and souls into building something from nothing, providing jobs and providing hope. That’s why we’ve been there for them with our investment in Futurpreneur, which helps young entrepreneurs access financing, mentorship and resources to turn their bold ideas into thriving businesses.

The opposition are concerned about keeping people off the job but it’s this government that works hard to keep the great people of this province on the job. We’ve stepped up to the plate for small business. It’s high time the opposition did the same.