My question is for the Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Municipalities across Ontario, especially in rural, remote and northern communities, face unprecedented economic challenges due to unforeseen additional costs arising from the carbon tax. Increasing cost to heat buildings and rising fuel costs for front-line municipal vehicles create economic and budgetary challenges for our municipal partners. This is especially true for northern municipalities and Indigenous communities who feel the effects of the federal carbon tax more significantly than other municipalities.

While the NDP tries to confuse everyone as to where they stand on this punitive and regressive tax, our government’s position has always been clear: It’s time to scrap the carbon tax. Can the minister please explain how the carbon tax negatively impacts northern municipalities and Indigenous communities?

It is difficult to understand why the independent Liberals and the opposition NDP continue to disrespect the north by supporting the federal government’s imposition of this regressive tax. Can the minister please elaborate on how the carbon tax is making life more expensive and more costly for northern Ontario?

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.