My question is to the Premier. Speaker, families across this province are languishing on child care wait-lists because this government has, at every turn, refused to take steps required to address the workforce crisis.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto area has just 16,000 kids enrolled in its 35,000 spaces because they don’t have the workers to staff them. Reports indicate that wait-lists can be up to two years to get access to a space in the $10-a-day child care program.

The government’s own experts say that Ontario could be short 8,500 ECEs by 2026. Workers say they can’t afford to make a living working in child care.

Will the minister finally admit he needs to listen to experts, commit to a salary scale starting at $25 per hour for all child care workers and $30 for RECEs to ensure the government can deliver on the promises for the spaces that the parents are waiting for their child care programs to access?