Thank you to that member for that question. The federal carbon tax is hurting Ontario’s economy and is really hurting families and making life harder.

Speaker, the federal government doesn’t seem to understand that for parents filling up their cars in places like Peterborough, Kenora and Wawa, there are, in many cases, no alternatives, and the carbon tax adds unnecessary costs for families who need to rely on a car to drive their kids to school, to go to work or to visit their doctor. Unlike in Toronto, communities like Kenora, Peterborough and Wawa don’t have access to rapid transit and subways, and we need to recognize this.

It’s clear that the federal Liberals and their provincial counterparts are out of touch with the needs of Ontario families, and we urge the federal government to do the right thing: Support Ontario’s families and scrap your carbon tax.

Once again, I’ll ask members to make their comments through the Chair.

The next question.

At a time when Canadians are seeing costs go up everywhere, the federal Liberals, supported by their provincial counterparts, are raising taxes on families across the province. The federal Liberals will increase it from $65 per tonne to $170 per tonne by 2030. If we think gas is expensive now, it’s going to get a lot worse. It’s going to get harder for families to take their kids to soccer practice. It’s going to get even more expensive for us to afford food.

It’s about time that the federal Liberals and the provincial Liberals stand up for drivers and appreciate the unique needs of those in communities that don’t have rapid transit and subways. Families cannot afford higher taxes. We have to be serious about reducing emissions and addressing affordability, and they need to take leadership and scrap the carbon tax.

The Scarborough subway extension: a project, Mr. Speaker, that the provincial Liberals spoke about for 15 years and did absolutely nothing and ignored the people of Scarborough. Under this Premier and his leadership, we’re building the Scarborough subway extension.

We look at LRTs across this province. The Hazel McCallion Line: We were just there with the Premier and the hard-working construction workers on the line, making sure it’s ready to go.

We’re going to change the face of transportation across this province. We’re going to change how people are moving. We’re going to build highways, we’re going to build public transit, and we’ll take no lessons from the official opposition on that.

Mr. Speaker, to the carbon tax king who wants to increase taxes on absolutely everyone, I’ll follow up what the minister has just said. We’re building the largest transit expansion in North America. We’re doubling the size of the Toronto transit system. As he was mentioning, for years and years—decades—under the Liberals, they forgot about the people of Scarborough. They forgot about the people of Etobicoke going west, which is, by the way, six weeks ahead of schedule and on time. And we’re doing the Yonge extension as well. He mentioned all the LTRs going in, the great Hazel McCallion Line out in Mississauga and the line going along Finch.

We’re making a difference here for the people in Toronto and the GTA and right across this province. We’re going to continue building transit. As you vote no against every single transit project, we’re going to keep moving forward. Thank you for the question.

Respectfully, the member opposite is not quite up to date. We have absolutely been working with our paramedic partners and other municipal leaders to make sure that we get this right.

I’m going to give credit where credit is due, and that is my amazing parliamentary assistant, the member from Eglinton–Lawrence, who brought this bill forward. We often talk about how our government has a plan and it’s working. This is a beautiful example of something that the member from Eglinton–Lawrence saw, brought forward a solution, and now we’re working through those regulatory details to make sure we get it right. I am incredibly proud of the work that she’s been doing.

My question is for the Premier. Four years ago last week, we passed Bill 141, which is the Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, at second reading. This bill lets us know where defibrillators are across the province. It also lets us know that they’ve been maintained so we know they work.

There were three bills, actually, from the member from Nickel Belt, myself and the member from Eglinton–Lawrence. We asked the new House leader at the time to say, “Pass this bill. Take it to committee. Let’s travel it.” We did that. It received royal assent in June 2020. We were all pretty excited—change. We did something good. We were going to save lives.

Since then—crickets. The bill is not enacted. It hasn’t been enacted three and a half years later—a bill that will help keep people alive. So could the minister and the Premier please tell us exactly what’s happened with this bill?

Defibrillators save lives. The person sitting next to me is living proof, and if they couldn’t find the defibrillator or it didn’t work, that chair would be empty right now.

So, 7,000 people have cardiac arrest in Ontario every year—7,000 people—and we know that if defibrillation is applied within three minutes, most of them survive. Every minute after, it gets worse. Three minutes; three and a half years.

Minister, will you commit to making sure that this bill is enacted before we return here in February? It’s important to Ontario families, because they don’t want any empty chairs.

My question is for the Premier. It’s nice to see him here this morning. Unfortunately, I hasten to inform the members of this House—

Interjections.

I hastily and sadly inform the members of the House, in a question to the Premier, that Metrolinx has missed another deadline. We were supposed to hear two months ago, according to their failed CEO, Mr. Verster, that we’d get an update on the Eglinton Crosstown project. But two months have passed and the only thing that has happened is that Mr. Verster has apparently earned another $160,000 thanks to the Ontario taxpayer, and his army of 59 vice-presidents and 19 C-suite executives are probably doing very well.

So my question to the Premier, through you, Speaker: Can we expect an actual update from Mr. Verster on the status of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT?

This government seems to be confused, Speaker, rather like the federal government. They have great ideas about aspirational transit—transit that might come one day, transit that is $1 billion over budget in this particular project and three years late.

So my question to the Premier: Why are you continuing to tolerate an executive who apparently earns $1 million a year thanks to the Ontario taxpayer, who presides over failing transit projects, who has spent at least $500 million in court fighting the company building this project? And why are you not respecting the women and men all across Ontario that operate our transit system and paying them the salaries they deserve and giving the municipalities the money they deserve? Operational transit: That’s what we want here.

Interjections.

Supplementary question.

It is against the rules of the House to make reference to the absence of a member, and it creates disorder in the House. I would remind members not to make reference to the absence of any member.

Interjections.

Restart the clock. The member for Ottawa Centre has the floor.

The Premier to reply.

I really do appreciate the member from Whitby for raising such an important question.

The continuous increase in the carbon tax poses significant challenges for these businesses and the broader economy. Fuel is a significant expense for the trucking and logistics industry, and the continuous rise in the carbon tax directly translates into higher fuel prices. These higher costs have a cascading effect, as they are passed on to small businesses through increased transportation costs for goods. This means less money to expand their operations or, even worse, potentially laying off staff.

With the recent fall economic statement, Ottawa has made it very clear: It’s only up from here for the carbon tax. Speaker, I know the Liberals are busy deciding who gets to drive the minivan next, but if they have some time, they should pick up the phone and do their job by telling their federal counterpart to scrap the tax.

From a construction business: “The carbon tax is simply an added cost to our small business. We need trucks to move our equipment and fuel costs are through the roof. I feel there are better ways to help fight climate change.”

The opposition have failed to recognize the impact this tax has on Ontario’s small businesses and the communities that rely on them. It is high time for the NDP and the Liberals to stop grandstanding. Tell Ottawa: Scrap the tax.

Once again, I’ll remind members to make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor of the House.

Next question.

I respect the member opposite. I really do. I think he has been doing an excellent job as the interim leader; you will of course transition to a new role. But I want to give a bit of a history lesson: You had a Liberal member when the Liberal government was here in control in the province of Ontario who brought forward very similar legislation. That was Ted McMeekin. What did your government do with it? What they did with it, Speaker, is they ignored it. We’re actually passing this legislation, we’re passing the regulations and we’re putting it in place, while you had members in your own party that you turned your back on and said, “We’re not interested in that registry.” We are doing it.

It is a very strategic decision to make sure that the individuals who are most vulnerable living in those congregate care settings have access to what truly is a life-saving, game-changing vaccine.

I want to say, Ontario does lead Canada in terms of the number of drugs and access to vaccines that we have on the formulary. Again, we are very strategic in making sure that we have and ensure access for the people who are most vulnerable.

When I think of the changes that we’ve been able to make because we have COVID-19 vaccines in our community, because we have thousands of pharmacies and pharmacists who are, on a daily basis, providing vaccines to our residents, it really is taking a very different approach in making sure that we are protecting as many Ontario residents as possible. We’ll continue to do that work because we see that this is yet another protection to ensure people in Ontario remain safe.

My question is to the Attorney General. My constituents, both landlords and tenants, often express their frustration with the delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board.

We currently have a national housing crisis. The long-term rental supply plays a vital role in tackling this issue. Sadly, we are seeing financial disasters caused by non-paying tenants, which result in landlords having to either sell their property or move into short-term rentals.

The LTB is the backbone of a functional rental community and provides a legal framework for how landlords and tenants should govern themselves. It is intended as a means of resolving disputes between both parties in a fair and timely manner. My question is, what steps is the government taking to ensure that the LTB is fair and fast for everyone?

My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. The federal government has already raised the carbon tax on gasoline five times, and they intend to raise prices another seven times in the coming years. The carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy and Ontario workers. That is why it was truly shocking to hear that the Liberal member for Kanata–Carleton actually stood up in the Legislature and praised the carbon tax as beneficial for Ontarians.

While the opposition NDP and independent Liberals continue to believe that increasing taxes is the best solution, our government realizes that’s wrong and unfair to hard-working Ontarians. Speaker, can the associate minister please explain the negative impact of the carbon tax on the province’s businesses?

According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, by 2030, Ontario households will experience a decline in their quality of life due to the additional costs resulting from the carbon tax. A financial loss of $2,000 per household will bring even further hardship to individuals and families who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Speaker, increasing the carbon tax will negatively impact the people of Ontario and, yes, our economy. Contrary to claims made by the Liberal Party, the carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy and Ontario workers. Can the associate minister please elaborate on the impact of the carbon tax on small businesses and communities across our province?

To the Premier: Seniors in my riding of Thunder Bay–Superior North and the neighbouring riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan are telling me they cannot afford to pay for the RSV vaccine that the government is only providing under OHIP to seniors in long-term care.

People over the age of 60 account for 80% of deaths from the virus, yet the ministry has erected financial barriers to adults seeking the vaccine who live in their own homes. Will the Premier end this discriminatory practice and provide full RSV coverage for all people over the age of 60?

Will the Premier stop this discriminatory practice, remove the upper age limit and provide shingles coverage for all people over the age of 65?

Thank you to the Attorney General for his response. Since the pandemic, the issues of fraudulent rental applications and non-payment of rent have soared to historically high levels. Fake identities, job letters, employment income and bank statements, as well as forged credit reports, have become more common in rental applications without the offenders facing any consequences. Those acts are not just hurting landlords; the impact of their behaviour extends to honest, paying tenants as well. When landlords start to withdraw from long-term rentals, it limits the choice of housing and increases the cost of living.

Can the Attorney General tell us what can be done to make sure those who break the law intentionally are held accountable, to help restore public confidence in our justice system?

The Attorney General.

The member for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry and parliamentary assistant.

I want to thank the member from Don Valley North. He’s clearly in touch with his constituents. We’re hearing it from our constituents as well.

The Landlord and Tenant Board is an important part of our system, and I can tell you that we’re making progress. This government made investments last year that the NDP opposed. We made investments this year that the NDP opposed. We have doubled the number of adjudicators. By the end of today, there will be 69, where there were 40 in June—full-time. We’re adding more. We’ll be at 86 very shortly.

I sat down with Sean Weir, the executive chair, and we are making progress. Of our 13 tribunals, 11 are hitting their targets. The Landlord and Tenant Board is next, Mr. Speaker. Of urgent matters reviewed and processed as of September of last year, 964; by September this year, 2,356—a 140% improvement. In terms of scheduled hearings: last year, 49,000 scheduled hearings; this year so far, 70,000—a 40% increase.

I’ll have more in the supplementary.

We want to make sure that the landlords—and when we say “landlords,” we’re talking about not just large landlords; we’re talking about your neighbours who are trying to rent out part of their house or an investment property that they have. We looked at where the choke points were in the system, and one of them was the orders. Once the hearing had happened, the orders weren’t getting out fast enough. The L3s and L4s—in February of this year, there were 1,000 waiting to be processed; as of early October of this year, there were 75.

We are making progress. We will get there, and we will make sure that the landlords and the tenants have a fair and responsive system.

Thank you to the hard-working member from Thornhill. You’re absolutely right: Local businesses are a pivotal part of our economy and this government continues to ensure they are getting the supports that they need. That’s why during COVID we took action early and provided grants to small businesses to ensure that they would come out of COVID and continue to thrive across this province. But local business owners in the member’s riding are also right when they say the carbon tax is driving costs and making life more expensive for the people of Ontario. It’s not just driving up the price of gasoline, but it’s also driving up the expenses of supply chains, our housing, grocery prices and, of course, inflation.

It’s not fair for the people of this province, and that’s why we continue to fight the carbon tax and call on the federal government to end this regressive tax. Will the opposition join us on our call or continue to sit on their hands?

As the member clearly outlined, the carbon tax continues to drive up prices and make life more unaffordable. I was disappointed to see here in our chamber the Liberal Party of this province show their continued support by voting against our motion on the removal of carbon tax on all home heating fuels. They did this in spite of the evidence highlighting the damage it’s doing to local businesses throughout Ontario.

But that’s why, while the other party continues to vote to increase prices for Ontarians, we are working to make life more affordable. From removing double transit fares, ending tolls on Highways 412 and 418 to eliminating the need for licence stickers, we are continuing to take action and put money back in the pockets of the people of Ontario at a time when they need it the most.

My question is for the Minister of Finance. When meeting with local businesses in my riding of Thornhill, they consistently tell me about how the federal carbon tax is so detrimental to our local economy and making their businesses more expensive to operate.

Our government is very clear that local businesses are essential and serve a vital role in driving our province’s economic prosperity. Local businesses in all communities need to feel supported, not penalized. It’s not fair or right that our businesses are being punished because of this regressive tax forced on them by the federal Liberal government. Can the minister please explain how a carbon tax negatively impacts our local businesses?

When it comes to the negative impact of the carbon tax, everyone shares the same message of concern. From the governor of the Bank of Canada to the parliamentary budget officers, academics, economists, business leaders and even Premiers of all political stripes agree that the carbon tax is making life more challenging and unaffordable for everyone. The carbon tax is also increasing prices and is creating unfavourable conditions that weaken our competitive economic advantage. Local businesses are struggling and this regressive tax is only making their work more difficult.

During this time of economic uncertainty and affordability concerns, Ontarians should not be taxed more. Can the parliamentary assistant please explain how our government is supporting Ontario businesses and families?