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.

Thank you to the minister for that response. The minister is correct: The federal Liberals are out of touch when it comes to understanding that the carbon tax is leading to soaring fuel prices that make life unaffordable and difficult for everyone. Anyone sitting in this chamber that agrees the carbon tax is good for the people of Ontario is out of touch.

The reality is that Ontarians are already struggling with the high cost of goods, groceries and gas because of that carbon tax. The carbon tax adversely affects every business and negatively impacts our economy and every single worker in Ontario. That’s why our government must continue to call on federal government to do the right thing and eliminate the tax completely.

Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how future carbon tax increases are going to negatively impact the people of Ontario?

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 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?

My question’s to the Premier. Speaker, 62 women and children were lost to femicide in the past year according to OAITH’s 2023 femicide list. We know these numbers, with each passing day, are rising. Yesterday, I met with OAITH and spoke with workers—women—on the front lines of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence working hard to help save the lives of women and children exposed to violence. You refuse to listen to our countless calls for you to name gender-based violence as an epidemic in this province of Ontario. This sector hasn’t seen real investments, deep investments, to its operational funding in 15 years and counting.

My question is to the Premier. You keep talking about a national plan to address gender-based violence, national dollars. As Premier of Ontario, what is your plan? What is Ontario’s provincial plan to address gender-based and intimate partner violence? Let’s not pass the buck. Thank you, Speaker.

Interjections.

The government will always be there to protect women and their children escaping violence. We back up that work with investments. Supports to victims of violence have increased by $6.5 million in this year’s budget over last year, and we have flowed $6 million to support initiatives and supports in rural and remote communities.

We invested $18.5 million over three years to enhance the Transitional and Housing Support Program to help victims of domestic violence and survivors of human trafficking find and maintain housing and help transition to independence, and those were on top of approximately $240 million we invested for victims of violence and $10.2 million for violence prevention initiatives.

Just two weeks ago, we negotiated with the federal government to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence that will see an additional $162 million invested over four years in Ontario. Our government has and will continue to increase investments across the board to end violence against women, and we are going to keep doing whatever it takes to protect women.

Speaker, it’s crucial that women and children fleeing violence have the supports they need to start new lives. That’s why we’re working to increase access to safe and affordable housing for women escaping violence and human trafficking. We’re investing $18.5 million over three years in the transitional housing support program to support victims of domestic violence and survivors of human trafficking find and maintain housing to help transition to independence.

It also connects them to socially and culturally responsive wraparound community supports like safety planning, counselling, health and wellness, education, legal and immigration services, financial resources, and child care services.

Speaker, every single Ontarian deserves to have a safe place to live, especially women fleeing violence and their children, and our government will ensure that they have the supports that they need.

The supplementary question.

The Minister of Education.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1139 to 1144.

MPP Stevens has moved private member’s notice of motion number 36.

All those in favour will please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Motion negatived.

I recognize the government House leader.

Speaker, let us not forget that the NDP and Liberals urged Ontario to sign the first deal with the federal government that would have omitted every single for-profit child care operator. They would have denied flexibility. They would have left $3 billion on the table and they would have had no review mechanism with the federal government to get more funding, as the member opposite urges us, to deliver for this sector. You can’t have it both ways.

You propped up the Liberal Party that increased child care fees by over 500%. And here we are, a Progressive Conservative government that, under our Premier’s leadership, cut fees by 50%, building 86,000 more spaces. The NDP voted against that progress for families and for working people. We will continue to build space. We’ll continue to cut fees. We will do so without the support of the NDP. That’s regretful because families in this province would want to believe we can come together to provide affordability for the people we represent.

In this government, we’re increasing fees, career-laddering opportunities, professional development. We’re launching an ad program. And in the words of the CEO of the College of Early Childhood Educators, “We are encouraged that the strategy seeks to address some of the long-standing systemic challenges that contribute to attrition in the profession and the current workforce crisis in child care.”

Mr. Speaker, we’re going to keep increasing spaces, decreasing fees, supporting the workers, increasing their wages every single year and doing better to support all families and the people in the province of Ontario.