I’d like to welcome Josh Van Horne from the Brantford Professional Firefighters Association; Elise deBlieck’s grade 6 class from Hope Reformed Christian School; and Natasha Dobler from Nova Vita Domestic Violence Prevention Services of Brantford. Great to have you all in the people’s House.

I want to welcome all the representatives from the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses on their Wrapped in Courage campaign day. I particularly want to welcome some wonderful women from Hamilton and Brantford. Let’s start with Erin Griver from Inasmuch House; Natasha Dobler, Nova Vita; the fantastic Daniela Giulietti from the YWCA; Tessa Mcfadzean, Good Shepherd Women’s Centre; and the women from Interval House. You do fantastic work keeping our women safe. Welcome to your House.

The member from Brantford–Brant is right. He’s also a volunteer firefighter—and I want to say thank you—as was the member for Sarnia–Lambton, and others.

What the independent Liberal members don’t seem to get—and they’re downplaying the tax; they did it, in recent days, when we spoke about the cost of policing—is that every time you fill up a fire truck, any vehicle that’s used in firefighting, you are paying the carbon tax. When you are buying equipment and other resources that you need to keep Ontario safe, you are paying the carbon tax on those costs. The Ontario firefighters are being penalized for this carbon tax on the cost of fuel, on procurement and on operations. It’s totally unacceptable. Whether it’s about public safety and policing or fire-fighting, it’s unacceptable.

Our message to the federal—

Je suis fier de soutenir nos pompiers et tous ceux qui assurent la sécurité de l’Ontario.