The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

Interjection.

The member for Niagara Falls will complete his question.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank the member opposite for the question. I see a little bit of tone in his voice; maybe it’s because the Argonauts didn’t make it to the Grey Cup this year, but there’s another year at some point.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport supports 16 agencies and attractions across Ontario. And let me not forget maybe the most important thing: They are huge drivers and supporters of tourism for this province. That drives billions of dollars, not only to that marketplace, but around Ontario. So we’ve got to make sure we don’t forget that.

Changes to the members and leadership of Ontario’s agencies and boards are a common occurrence, and we typically don’t take out billboards or run ads when it happens.

Mr. Maves has done a lot of great work, and we appreciate the time he spent with us.

Well, there have been changes. Boards get changed all the time. Things happen. There is absolutely no reason for us to centre anybody out at any time. They commit their time and their efforts to make things better. The member identified how great it has been there, and it will continue to get even better, because of the people who take the time out of their daily lives and their jobs to sit on boards, to support the agencies and drive tourism in Niagara parks and in the Niagara region.

My question is to the Premier.

We’ve learned that former Conservative MPP and lobbyist for local developers Bart Maves was quietly removed as vice-chair from the Niagara Parks Commission by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport with two years left on his term. Maves was also removed from the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. The move to strip Maves of his appointments to both commissions was done with no notice or explanation.

This week, when questioned by the media, the minister refused to explain why the government would remove one of their political allies.

My question is simple. Why was Maves removed from the Niagara Parks Commission and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission by this government?

The Niagara Parks Commission is a key part of our tourism industry in Niagara, and it supports 40,000 jobs. They generate tens of millions of dollars each year in revenue and have an operating budget of nearly $120 million—equal to the city of Niagara Falls—supporting over 1,700 jobs in our community, while also preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the Niagara River.

In Niagara, we expect the parks to run free from political interference. Yet this government has been stacking the Niagara Parks Commission with failed PC politicians and friends. So it’s odd that you would suddenly remove a—

Interjection.

My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development.

Speaker, residents in northern Ontario and Indigenous communities are being negatively impacted by the carbon tax. The rising costs associated with the carbon tax, particularly in transportation and supply chain activities, are posing challenges for individuals, families and businesses. Given the current reality of higher expenses for transporting goods in northern Ontario, the carbon tax only serves to make the situation worse. As a result, people are experiencing increased financial burdens at the gas pumps and in grocery stores. There are unique circumstances in the north that must be considered, particularly when it comes to travel.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how the carbon tax is negatively affecting northern and Indigenous communities?

Speaker, it is disheartening that instead of providing support to northern Ontario, the previous Liberal government, with the backing at the time from the NDP, chose to label the north as a “no man’s land.”

Northern Ontario faces distinct challenges, especially when it comes to the cost of fuel. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how this regressive carbon tax is impacting northern Ontario?

Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, there isn’t always public transparency about the evidence used by this government to make their decisions. The Chiefs of Ontario have asked this government to meet with them, as they have concerns about Métis consultation, with no answer. When will this government sit down with them and discuss Ontario’s identification of Métis communities?

I’ll touch on the greenbelt for a second and the double standard here. You changed it 17 times, but no one said anything, because you were taking care of the environmentalists. That’s one thing.

Talking about raising taxes, our government has never raised a tax on the backs of the people of Ontario. We’ve never raised a tax on the backs of businesses. To the contrary, we lowered taxes to the tune of $8 billion to attract the companies that they chased out of our province. They chased out 300,000 jobs as we created the environment for 715,000 jobs.

We’re putting money back into peoples’ pockets, as you increased taxes by billions and billions of dollars and made this the worst—

Interjections.

Anyway, we inherited a mess. The province is going in the right place. We hear—not just from everywhere around Canada and around North America, but the entire world—that we’re the hottest place in the world to invest in, no matter if it’s life sciences, technology or EV batteries.

Well, what the member and I can agree on is the fact that the federal government has introduced legislation that is problematic between Métis communities and First Nations communities across this country. Furthermore, it lacked the kinds of consultations with provincial and territorial governments, First Nations governments and, quite possibly, Métis governments. We don’t have a record of those consultations. We just know that we weren’t addressed with regard to it.

That said, it is not the style of this Premier or our government to be divisive. We understand the balance that we have to strike between the Métis communities and the First Nations communities, and we encourage the leadership of the Métis Nation of Ontario and the Chiefs of Ontario to get in a room together to have a discussion and look for solutions and opportunities in this important debate.

Back to the Premier: Members of the Wabun Tribal Council are here. They also have raised concerns about Métis recognition in their territory. Decisions made by Ontario that create recognition will have current and future impacts on legitimate rights-holders for many generations.

Can this government speak on how Ontario concluded that there is a distinct Métis community in the Abitibi Inland on First Nations territory?

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.

No.

Oh, I love these questions, Mr. Speaker. You know what? We got into power in 2018. Who gave us an infrastructure deficit? Was it this side? No. It was that side. It was that member’s party. Mr. Speaker, we hadn’t built subways, no hospitals, no roads, no bridges, no long-term care.

And when we lowered the gas tax, did that member vote yes or no?

Good morning, Speaker. My question is to our Solicitor General. It’s no secret that people from across Ontario are fed up with the unnecessary and useless carbon tax. It’s regressive and punitive. It hurts everyone and it makes life more expensive for families and businesses throughout the province. The carbon tax is not only increasing the cost of goods, it’s driving up the costs of fuel and gasoline for all of us.

We’ve heard about the negative impacts of the carbon tax and the rising cost for families and businesses, but our front-line paramedics, police and firefighters are also impacted. Speaker, can our Solicitor General please explain the negative impacts of the carbon tax on law enforcement and public safety agencies across Ontario?

It’s vital that we provide our police services with the support and resources they need to protect our communities instead of paying additional fuel costs because of this carbon tax. Speaker, can our Solicitor General please elaborate on how funds spent on the carbon tax could be better allocated to keeping Ontario safe?

This government has a habit of admitting mistakes only when they get caught red-handed. The $8.3 billion greenbelt giveaway, well-documented by the Auditor General, the Integrity Commissioner and now under criminal investigation by the RCMP, is only their latest scandal.

They also have a habit of blaming problems in our province, which they govern, on every level of government except their own. We have an affordability crisis, and yet what does this government do in their fall economic statement? They create a new bank with $3 billion of taxpayer money.

Speaker, 2,023 days ago, on May 10, 2018, the government made a promise, one that remains broken to this day: They promised to lower taxes for lower- and middle-income households. That would put up to $1,691 back into those households’ bank accounts.

My question to the Premier: When will the government stop playing the blame game and finally keep their promise to lower taxes and help Ontario families?

Speaker, families earning between $46,000 to $92,000 could save up to $1,691 if this government were to simply keep its promise. That’s money that could help those families deal now with high rents and the cost of living. This government, and this government alone, has the power to keep its promise, but instead of doing so, it’s going to spend $3 billion to set up an infrastructure bank that will only attract the money the government says it will if the government privatizes our public services.

Once again to the Premier: Will the Premier keep his promise and make life more affordable for Ontario families by lowering taxes now?

My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Children’s aid societies in northeastern Ontario are in crisis due to the lack of resources. The Sudbury and Manitoulin CAS is running a deficit, despite not being allowed to do so, because their budget has been cut by half a million dollars a year. The minister wouldn’t make himself available when asked to comment on this by the media, so what will he say about this situation now that he’s here in the House?

My office hears from the local children’s aid service providers who are struggling to provide services for children in care because their budgets have been cut to the bone. Sudbury and Manitoulin CAS have no new foster families to place children with when they’re in desperate need. The head of the Nipissing and Parry Sound CAS said the following: “If we had to remove a child or children from a home, we have nowhere to put them.”

Speaker, what possible explanation does the minister have for severely cutting funds to the children’s aid societies, and what’s his next plan when a child is in crisis?

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.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. The federal government released its fall economic statement on Tuesday. Not surprisingly, my constituents in Carleton have already told me that they are very disappointed that the federal government has refused to address affordability for Ontarians. The federal government is continuing to apply a disastrous carbon tax on everything.

Speaker, it is even more disappointing that the independent Liberals in this House continue to support the federal government’s actions. What’s more, as we approach winter and as the weather becomes colder, the federal government could have removed the HST charge from home heating expenses. But sadly, they did not.

Speaker, can the minister please share his views about the impact of the fall economic statement on all Ontarians?

Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how the federal fall economic statement will affect affordability for all Ontarians?

Speaker, this week, the long-awaited inquest began into the tragic death of Soleiman Faqiri in the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay. A report from Ontario’s chief forensic psychiatrist and subsequent OPP investigation found that while in custody, Mr. Faqiri was beaten, pepper sprayed twice and restrained face down, all leading to his death. Yet after three police investigations, one by the Kawartha Lakes Police Service and two by the OPP, no charges were laid.

The coroner’s inquest has already revealed more disturbing information about Mr. Faqiri’s death, including a graphic, 24-minute video of his last moments.

To the Premier: Will you support the reinvestigation of Mr. Faqiri’s death in light of the overwhelming evidence and commit to finally giving his family the justice and closure that they deserve?

Stop the clock. A fairly substantial number of members have repeatedly ignored my efforts to get them to come to order. So the next time, you’ll be warned.

Interjection.

Start the clock. The next question.

Interjection.

The minister has the floor.

The next question.

I thank the member for the question. I want to make it very clear, we want every child and youth in this province to have a safe, loving, stable home regardless of their circumstances.

The member has probably not paid attention, but I’ve been travelling the province, meeting with families and service providers—and she knows; she’s aware of it because I know that they’re telling her. I know that they’re telling her.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve backed up the work by over $1.5 billion of investment. We have hired more inspectors on the ground to inspect the facilities. Those inspectors are going in unannounced this fall. So there’s not only more inspectors, there are more unannounced inspections that are being done.

We want to make sure that every youth, every child in this province is protected and supported so that they can continue to succeed and thrive in their communities. It’s a commitment we will never waver from.

Interjection.

That investment of $1.5 billion that I mentioned earlier: It’s important to note where it’s going. For the first time in the history of the province, we are making sure that children and youth succeed and thrive not only now but in the future. That’s why we started that support at the age of 13. We continued that support with financial supports up to the age of 23, so that the children and youth that age out of care can have—