Let’s talk about a few numbers. As of this morning, since this Premier was elected, we have 700,000 new jobs created in the province of Ontario. Last year alone, 180,000 jobs were created here in Ontario. We said it yesterday, and we said it last week, but we’ll say it again: In 2023, Ontario created more manufacturing jobs than all 50 US states combined. Last month, Ontario led the nation in job creation. Nearly 24,000 new jobs were added in our economy just in the month of January; 9,700 of them were in construction. Ontario accounted for 65% of all jobs created in this country. We are leading the nation in job creation.

Speaker, through you: In a recent op-ed, AMO’s executive director stated, “Provincial-municipal financial arrangements are not working for communities, businesses, industries, property taxpayers and the homeless.... With Bill 23 constraints on development charges, municipalities are turning to their only available options. They are hiking property taxes and user fees to increase revenue, or cutting services, to fund essential infrastructure investments.”

Speaker, 24 municipalities have now failed to qualify for this government’s failed Building Faster Fund, because this Premier and minister can’t seem to figure out that a municipality is responsible for issuing approvals, not putting shovels in the ground. When will this government end this incompetence and return this lost revenue to our municipal partners, as they promised?

Supplementary question.

Restart the clock. The next question.

The supplementary question?

It’s really amazing, right? It just shows how completely irrelevant the NDP have become in the day-to-day lives of the people of the province of Ontario, that he gets in his place and tries to defend taxing the people of the province of Ontario more, taxing people who want to build homes, taxing people who want to move into the homes, taxing a dream. That is the NDP.

We’ve seen what happens when you do that, Mr. Speaker. Do you know what happens? They did it in Mississauga, and do you know what happened in Mississauga? People left Mississauga. Do you know why? Because in Mississauga, the mayor of Mississauga, who’s now the leader of the Liberal Party, put obstacle after obstacle after obstacle in the way, and while the rest of the province was growing, people were leaving Mississauga.

Now, George, who I talked about earlier, who got a job, used to be in manufacturing, and do you know what George said? He left manufacturing—because it’s a hallmark of Liberal policies. When he was in, they left. When Conservatives are in, manufacturing is back and strong.

The Liberals ruined Ontario. The NDP are completely irrelevant in the province of Ontario. The only one that stands up for the people of the province of Ontario, gives you the dream of home ownership and gives you a key is the people in this caucus over here, and it is this Premier. Conservatives will always—

Interjections.

Thank you to the member opposite for the opportunity to answer this question.

Mr. Speaker, who is against promoting Ontario? Anyone in this House? It seems like the Liberals are. Well, maybe they would promote the fact that they drove 300,000 jobs out of this province. This government has supported the conditions so that 700,000 new jobs were created in this province. That’s the party that hasn’t seen a tax or a fee that they didn’t want to increase. It’s this government that’s got the backs of business and people and workers in this province. We’re reducing the cost of everything, including cutting gas taxes, reducing fees, making it easier, tuition freezes etc., so that the people of this province can have the best province in all of North America and, may I say, the whole world.

Speaker, I’m happy to. It will be done just like how we delivered in Working for Workers Four Act. The NDP members opposite put forward a good private member’s bill, but you know what? If we’d accepted their private member’s bill on esophageal cancer for firefighters, the proposed retroactive coverage only applied after 20 years of service. We lowered that to 15 years, because we learned—we can sit down and get to a better result for families like the Bowman family.

Stop playing politics on this. Come to the table. Work for firefighters, as this Premier and this government have done, and let’s get it done. Stop with the cheap shots.

I have yet to hear this minister actually say the word “forest” firefighters. I remind the government that only a week ago, you voted against an amendment that would have included forest firefighters under WSIB coverage, so I’m glad that the minister has finally decided to come to the table, even if it is late.

We need to know exactly how and when the government intends to recognize wildland fire rangers as firefighters in legislation. Legislative recognition also means supplying them with the proper PPE so that these firefighters have a chance not to become sick in the first place. Recognizing wildland firefighters as firefighters means better training and having a retention strategy, which means better pay so there is not a shortage of available fire crews as wildfires threaten our communities earlier and earlier each year.

Will the minister commit to including wildland firefighters as firefighters in legislation, with the necessary supports to protect these workers from exposure to toxins, before the start of this year’s fire season?

Interjections.

I want to thank my colleague, the Minister of Labour, for his comments that have been very clear about what our plans are for the future for our wildland forest fighters.

Mr. Speaker, we continue to make investments not only in our forest firefighters, but in communities all throughout Ontario to keep them safe. We are making investments to make sure that our firefighters have everything they need to do the job in this province. In fact, the previous government, their budget was $69.8 million a year. We raised that base budget 92% to $135.9 million a year to make sure that our firefighters have what they need to do the job.

Mr. Speaker, we care about their safety. We care about the safety of communities, individuals and infrastructure here in Ontario. We will continue to work with our forest firefighters. In fact, it is recruitment time right now, Mr. Speaker, and I call upon the opposition—

Speaker, my question is for the Premier. I didn’t see the part in the Conservative playbook where it says we need bigger government and subsidies for monopolies. But last week, the government chose to reverse the OEB’s decision that supports fairness for all ratepayers and would have created an open and fair market to help Ontarians get off fossil fuels and switch to cheaper, cleaner alternatives. But the Premier is sticking you and you and you—and all of us—with the bill again. Customers would have saved $2 billion in the next five years, but they sided with Enbridge and the $19-million CEO.

Last year, global spending in the clean economy was $1.8 trillion, up 17% from the year before, but we are missing out on jobs and investments. Why? Because ratepayers are subsidizing fossil fuel gas.

Will the Premier commit to subsidizing heat pumps and stop funding a gouging, greedy, polluting energy monopoly?

This will raise energy bills. It will stick homeowners with outdated polluting technologies and higher heating costs for decades—technologies that make us sick, that are burning our province down. And the fires are coming this summer.

We are in a housing crisis, and we need to build more homes, not lemons that need retrofits in a few years. For years, we’ve seen report after report after report showing that renewables are cheaper, safer and cleaner than fossil fuels. So why the double standard?

Speaker, will the Premier save Ontarians money? Will they create jobs and allow Ontarians to start switching to clean energy sources instead of giving money to Enbridge and make a fair market that will create jobs for everyone?

Thank you to the associate minister for that reassuring response.

Speaker, there are people in my riding who rely on public transit to go to work, school and to run errands. Having convenient and affordable transit options is essential to save them time and money. That’s why our government must ensure that we are making proactive changes that will provide financial relief to commuters across the province. We must keep costs down for the hard-working people in this great province.

Can the associate minister provide further details on the one-fare program and how it improves Ontarians’ public transit experience?

With one fare, it’s all about affordability. Ontarians can use any form of payment now—Presto card, debit card, credit card—hassle-free, Mr. Speaker. Students like them. When they commute, starting yesterday, there is no change in how they tap. There is no change in how they take transit. There’s only one change: They’re going to save money.

Like seniors, like parents, more than 600,000 students across GTHA take and rely on public transit every single day. And this is not just an impact on students. This is an impact on seniors. This is an impact on their parents.

As I mentioned, when I used to take public transit from Kennedy station to Kipling and take the TTC and go to Mississauga, during that time, under the leadership of Liberals, we paid a double fare. Under the leadership of this government, we are paying one fare.

Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

The supplementary is by the member for Thunder Bay–Superior North.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

The next question.

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. Seven months ago, forest firefighters across Ontario travelled thousands of kilometres to meet Minister Smith to talk about the tragic realities they face, to be reclassified and recognized as firefighters. Their minister told them he couldn’t make any promises because he wanted to make an informed decision.

Speaker, the fire season is upon us again. The Minister of Labour said yes yesterday, that forest firefighters can receive presumptive WSIB coverage for occupational diseases, but they voted no last week to an NDP motion to do exactly that.

To the minister: Can you confirm how this will be done?

Thank you.

Next question.

The Associate Minister of Transportation.

I’ve got a question for the Minister of Finance. When I meet with businesses and residents in my riding, I constantly hear how the federal carbon tax is putting pressure on the local economy and making businesses far more expensive to run. That’s why I find it so disappointing that the federal government continues to play politics and not eliminate the carbon tax; in fact, they’re going to increase it in just a month or so.

At this time, families, individuals and local businesses in all communities across Ontario need to feel supported by their governments and not penalized. This government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, recognizes that the carbon tax is unfair to hard-working Ontarians, especially those in rural Ontario, and that’s why we continue to advocate for every one of them.

Can the minister please explain how the federal carbon tax is hurting the people of Ontario?

Thank you to the minister for his response. We’ve heard the experts; we’ve heard from other governments, and we’ve heard from the people of Ontario: The carbon tax harms families. It harms businesses. It harms everyone across this province. With the Bank of Canada’s high interest rates and the cost of living so high, it has never been more important for governments to try to keep costs down for people and businesses.

Our government has been very clear: We’re working to put more money back into the pockets of the people of this province. That’s why it’s perplexing that the independent Liberals have failed to once again stand up with us against a tax that’s driving up prices and making life more expensive for their constituents.

Through you, Speaker: Can the minister please explain why we need to fight the carbon tax to provide support to the people of Ontario and the businesses in Ontario?

Thank you to the member opposite, with one of the best-named ridings, Peterborough. Thank you very much for that question.

As I said in my previous answer to the other question, the independent Liberals never found a tax they didn’t love. In fact, just last week, their party refused to support the great member from Simcoe–Grey’s motion to eliminate the carbon tax and make goods more affordable across the province.

Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada has said the carbon tax drives up inflation, and even some in the NDP have finally abandoned it. And yet, somehow these Liberals continue to support this regressive and punitive tax.

Instead, our government is the one standing up for hard-working Ontarians day in and day out.

The independent Liberals are following the lead of their federal counterparts and playing politics with the people of Ontario. This is the party whose interim leader called our gas tax cut a relief measure. And yet, later, guess what happened when the camera wasn’t on? He voted against extending the tax cut and voted against bringing down the price of fuel for Ontario families and businesses. And this is the party whose new leader refused to say that she was against the carbon tax and refused to commit to supporting fewer taxes for the people of Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, it’s time for these independent Liberals to decide if they are for the people of Ontario or if they are for an expensive and tax-loving federal government.

My question is for the Premier: 134,000 people in the Ottawa region don’t have a nurse practitioner or family doctor. They’re part of the 2.3 million people in Ontario that don’t have that coverage. These neighbours rely on unsuitable walk-in clinics or crammed hospital emergency rooms to get basic health care needs.

For weeks, I’ve heard the government talk about plans to open 78 primary care practices, but we don’t have any details. Will the government today commit to providing a public list of these 78 clinics?

So, again, Speaker—very clear, yes or no: Will the people of Ontario get this list of 78 clinics today?

It gives me an opportunity to once again talk about the expansions that we are doing in primary care multidisciplinary teams: 78 teams across Ontario, all, of course, who have been notified and celebrated. Whether it’s in Woodstock, whether it’s in Orillia, whether across Ontario, we have expansions happening in the province of Ontario.

As well as that, our investment is going to ensure that the existing multidisciplinary teams—whether they are a nurse-practitioner-led team or a FHT, a full family health team—are also getting additional operating dollars, because, frankly, they’ve been ignored for 12 years: zero operating expansion in the past 12 years. We are making sure that not only the primary care multidisciplinary teams that are operating across Ontario today, but as well the 78 new and expanded—we are getting it done for the people of Ontario.

We’ll continue to make these investments because as we expand access, whether it is through additional physician seats, whether it is additional nurse practitioner or RN seats in our post-secondary institutions, we’re also making sure that those job opportunities are available here in Ontario in communities. Whether it is in hospitals, whether it is in our public health units, whether it is in community care or, of course, expansions of primary care multidisciplinary teams, we will continue to do this work to make sure that everyone who wants and needs a primary care physician has that opportunity with these expansions.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Transportation. I still remember the chilling winter of February 2000, my first winter. I got a part-time job and I had two choices: number one, take Brampton Transit to Westwood mall, take the TTC and pay $5; or walk five kilometres. Mr. Speaker, as a newcomer, I picked five kilometres many times, and I had to struggle to make those tough choices.

Thankfully, we have a government that proudly rolled out our one-fare program so that residents like me don’t have to pick between tough choices or money in their pocket. Speaker, residents in my riding of Mississauga–Malton and across the GTA are thrilled to learn about the savings and the impact this will have on their household budget. You know, Mr. Speaker, for far too long, the transit needs of individuals and families across our province were neglected under the previous Liberal government. In contrast, our government is continuing to make transportation improvements through strategic investments. So Speaker—