Look, this isn’t about truckers. This isn’t about the 407. This is the NDP’s continued opposition to Highway 413. They continue to listen to the protest groups. The people of this province sent a very loud and clear message to that member and the previous Liberal leader and the current Liberal leader, who has actually continued on this campaign to cancel the 413.

Come to Brampton, come to Mississauga and listen to the challenges people are facing on the streets every single day and the gridlock that they are facing. Our government is committed to building $30 billion worth of infrastructure—roads, highways—all across this province and that is exactly what we will do. We’ll continue on our path forward to build Highway 413.

Let’s talk about the changes that we’ve made, whether it was getting rid of the val tags, $125 per car or truck, or the reduction of the gas tax by close to 10 cents a litre. That member has never once supported any of those measures that we have put forward for drivers across this province. Will that member stand up and call her federal counterpart and the Prime Minister and say a 23% increase in the carbon tax is unacceptable and they will not stand for it, and stand with truckers as we oppose that increase in the carbon tax?

Let me get this right: You’re against the 412 and 418. You voted against getting rid of the tolls. You voted against the 413. You voted against the Bradford Bypass. You voted against the largest transit expansion in North America. Which way are you going today? Are you going one way, are you going the other way?

At the end of the day, we’ve done more for the taxpayers of Ontario than any government in the history of this province, reducing the cost and burden of being taxed to death. You’re for taxes; we’re against taxes.

Thank you for the question. We have—and I’ve told this House many times—been working since the second that mill idled to get it open again, and my greatest respect to the steelworkers that are here today that have joined us that are concerned about their jobs. We are equally concerned about their jobs and the best thing that can happen is that mill reopens. We will be remorseless in our—sorry, in our—blah, blah, blah. Some days you’ve got it and some days you don’t. But we will not stop in our efforts to get this mill open.

You know, Mr. Speaker, I heard their media studio piece this morning, and they talked about all the things that we’re actually already doing, including making investments in the forestry industry to make sure that there’s a forestry industry in the future we can all count on. And the NDP and the Liberals had 15 years to do that. They did not do it. We’re doing it every day. We’re supporting that sector every day.

Meanwhile, we’re working the phones. We’re looking for the opportunities. We’re looking for the operators. We’re the ones making the investments in the forestry sector to make sure that Terrace Bay and Schreiber and every community in the north can benefit from a strong forestry sector: $60 million announced last week invested in biomass and the forestry sector, the same product that gets used in those mills, because we’re looking towards not only today, but to the future.

So to the opposition: Stand up and join us. You know we’re doing the right things. Stop playing games and let’s get this done. Let’s get it done for everybody.

Interjections.

No, Minister, this is about getting some relief for people today, not 10 years from now.

I’m going to bring my question back to the Premier. This is about political will. The Minister of Transportation said yesterday that it would be just too difficult to scrap tolls on Highway 407 because it’s owned by a private entity. He even admitted to journalists that it is within the government’s power to renegotiate the 407 contract, but they’re not willing to do it.

So my question back to the Premier is, why is this Premier so afraid of taking on the 407 operator?

Interjections.

Yesterday we gave them a chance to reverse their soft-on-tolls policies and actually do something, but they refused. Back to the Premier: When are you going to start prioritizing the interests of Ontarians instead of big corporations?

Interjections.

My next question is back to the Premier. In January, it was announced that the AV Terrace Bay pulp mill would close indefinitely, throwing 400 workers out of work. Workers from the mill, members of USW Local 665, are here today. I welcome them. They’re watching us now and they’re looking for answers from this government.

This is a viable mill in a competitive industry. If this mill is allowed to shut down, somebody else is going to open a mill outside of Ontario to do the same work.

Can the Premier tell these workers and the people of Terrace Bay what they are doing to save these jobs and get this mill back up and running?

And what is this government doing? They are saying the same things they always say; they’re making these empty promises. Those workers came a long way today to hear this government say, “We are going to fight for you and we are going to fight for northern Ontario.”

When will this Premier fight for the people of Terrace Bay?

Interjections.

To reply for the government, the Minister of Transportation.

Minister of Transportation.

The Premier.

Interjections.

Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Members will please take their seats.

Interjections.

Interjections.

Okay, I’m going to start calling out members by name to come to order.

Interjections.

Start the clock.

The supplementary question: the member for Thunder Bay–Superior North.

Thank you. And I’d like to say, the biomass projects have nothing to do with helping the workers in Terrace Bay. There has been no communication with the workers in Terrace Bay whatsoever.

The owners of the mill, the Aditya Birla Group, received nearly $130 million from the province with an expectation that, when they purchased the mill, they were in for the long hail and the community could depend on the jobs. The town, the workers there and all the surrounding communities don’t have two years to wait until maybe another multinational thinks they can get a good deal on a mill that actually produces some of the best pulp in the world.

There has been no communication with the workers and almost no communication with the town leadership, so everybody is waiting to hear something.

So I want to know now, today, with workers who have travelled all the way here from Terrace Bay, what is the government doing, specifically, to bring back jobs for the workers at Terrace Bay, to bring that mill back to life?

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Education. Our government agrees with parents in Ontario: Students need to be in class getting back-to-basics education. Last week, we heard the minister tell this House that Ontario is second in the nation in reading, writing and math, top 10 in science and top 15 in math internationally. We need to keep this momentum going. We must work to keep children learning and provide them with the stability they deserve so they can continue to succeed in school.

Can the minister please explain what’s being done to support students in Ontario and ensure they stay in class without interruptions from threats of union strikes?

Speaker, our next generation have big, bold dreams for their futures. It is of critical importance that they have our support to develop the skills, understanding and self-efficacy they need to grow and thrive. Our government must continue to put education first, deliver stability and invest in students’ potential.

Can the minister please tell the House how our government is preparing Ontario students for future success?

Remarks in Anishininiimowin. Good morning. A Global News investigation revealed how youth from northern First Nations are being targeted by for-profit group home companies. These companies do this because their owners can charge First Nations more for the care of our children. These companies see our children and youth as a steady source of revenue, as cash cows, as one operator said. Our children and youth are not dollar signs.

To the Premier: Do you condone this abuse?

To the Premier: Again I ask, what action will your government take today?

Interjections.

Thank you to the member from Newmarket–Aurora for this question. I’m proud to report to this House that our government has concluded teacher negotiations with the Catholic teachers, meaning all children—two million kids—are in class where they belong. This is very good news for Ontario families, because these kids deserve routine in their lives. It has been almost a generation since the last time a government has delivered deals without any strike or any withdrawal of service at the local or provincial level. It is good news, and we should celebrate progress, stability for children and common sense back in our school system.

We are committed to ensuring our kids get back on track. It’s why routine is foundational as we go back to basics. I am grateful to Ontario educators, to the families and students, to the members of this government caucus who stood up for kids for the right to learn, to stay in school, with peace and stability for the next three years. That is the legacy we deserve for Ontario kids.

We are imposing accountability and transparency on school boards to ensure that the new kindergarten curriculum introduced this year will actually provide daily instruction on literacy and math. We are ensuring that kids get the skills they need—the life skills, the job skills necessary to compete, get good jobs and graduate with confidence.

Mr. Speaker, that’s why we are proud to have delivered on our promise to the parents of this province—stability, common sense and hope for the kids of Ontario.

To say that biomass has nothing to do with what we’re talking about in Terrace Bay is to fundamentally misunderstand how the forest industry works. But be that as it may, I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised.

Listen, we’ve gone over this again. The moment this mill shut down, we were in contact with the mayor. We were in contact with multiple mayors. We held regional meetings. That member was at the meetings. That member knows exactly what we’ve been doing. The Leader of the Opposition had a phone call with her. She knows exactly what we’ve been doing. So for them to play this pantomime that they don’t know what’s going on—we’ve been fully transparent about the efforts we’ve been taking on behalf of those fine workers who have joined us today, on behalf of a community. We want to see this mill going again.

It’s a private sector company that signed a horrible deal with the previous government—big shocker there. But we want to get this mill going again, and we’re going to continue to work for the people in Terrace Bay every single day.

Members will take their seats.

Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Thank you very much to the member for the question. I think it’s really important that we understand the circumstances that we are in. Mr. Speaker, we are having economic challenges. Those challenges are not immune to the province of Ontario. The process is before the courts, and the new landowner will be selected, but Metrolinx acted really quickly and brought itself out of the deal in order to protect the infrastructure and protect the transit-oriented community at Mimico station.

Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the city of Toronto, and we will continue to work with the new landowner to make sure that we build housing, affordable housing, public realm space and, of course, a GO station that the people in Etobicoke rely on.

Mr. Speaker, once again, this is just another opportunity for the NDP to try to oppose Highway 413.

Every step of the way, this government has put forward measures, especially in that member’s riding, as well, removing tolls on the 412 and 418.

What did that member do when they had the opportunity to vote in support of removing tolls on the 412 and 418? She voted against that measure.

Everything this government has done has been focused around putting more money back into the pockets of drivers, whether that’s reducing the fuel tax by 10 cents; removing tolls on the 412 and 418; fighting the carbon tax, which is about to go up 23%—that will not only impact truckers; it’s going to impact every single family in this province.

That is why, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we will continue to make historic investments in infrastructure, build Highway 413, and put more money in your pockets.

And absolutely not—we are going to get shovels in the ground. We’re seeing historic population growth in this province, especially in areas like Peel, especially in areas like Halton and York. We received one of the largest mandates, under this Premier, to build Highway 413, and that is exactly what we will do.

We’re not going to listen to the federal environment minister, who says he’s not going to invest or build any more roads or highways or bridges in this country.

Get out of the Queen’s Park bubble. Hit the roads of Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan and see for yourself the gridlock people—

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Energy.

People in my riding tell me daily that they want to be treated equally and fairly when it comes to the carbon tax.

With the carbon tax rate set to increase next month, Ontarians can expect to see a hike at the gas pumps, from 14.3 cents per litre to 17.6 cents per litre. This is absolutely unacceptable. People are already struggling with inflation. It’s unfair that they’re being forced to pay more for gas.

It’s obvious that the independent Liberals and opposition NDP don’t care that this unnecessary tax is making life more unaffordable for their constituents. That’s why our government will continue to support Ontarians and call for an end to the carbon tax.

Speaker, can the minister please tell the House how the federal carbon tax is hurting the hard-working individuals and families in this great province?

Speaker, under the previous Liberal government, people in my riding saw their electricity prices skyrocket because the Liberals insisted on signing energy contracts for power we didn’t need. Since we were elected in 2018, our government has taken a different approach: We’ve worked to make energy more affordable so that hard-working Ontario families don’t have to choose between paying their electricity bills or putting food on the table. Unlike the opposition NDP and the independent Liberals, we will always put Ontarians first.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is delivering the support Ontarians need as they experience more financial hardship due to the carbon tax?

My question is to the Premier.

Metrolinx has just cancelled its plan to build nearly 3,000 homes and upgrade the Mimico GO station after Vandyk Properties went bankrupt. So, what that means is that local residents have been waiting 10 years for a GO station upgrade and all they’ve got is a hole in the ground.

So, my question is to the Premier: How many times does Metrolinx have to fail to deliver on a project before this government holds that transit agency to account?

The member from Whitby is absolutely right once again. The federal carbon tax accomplishes nothing that it intended to do and it’s only hurting Ontario families, Mr. Speaker.

When the federal government introduced the carbon tax, they told us a couple of things: They said applying the additional tax to fuels would help reduce emissions, and they also told us that we would get back more than we paid through the carbon tax rebate. Well, we know that that’s not the truth, Mr. Speaker. We know both of these things have been proven to be untrue. The Bank of Canada says that interest rates have been affected because of the carbon tax. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has said we’re not getting back more than they said we would, and still, members of the Liberal caucus are saying that this the case. The Commissioner of the Environment—a federal agency, Mr. Speaker—has even put out a report saying the federal government will miss their own emission targets. The carbon tax is 0 for 2, Mr. Speaker. The jig is up. It’s time to scrap this harmful tax.

We’re in the midst of an affordability crisis, not just in Ontario but across this country. So, if you were in charge of the federal government in an affordability crisis, would you pause the carbon tax? Would you potentially rewind the carbon tax, or would you do what Jagmeet and Justin are doing, full steam ahead on the carbon tax, in three weeks’ time raising it by another 23%. It’s irresponsible, and it’s—

The supplementary question.

Interjections.

Start the clock.

The next question.

My question is to the Minister of Transportation.

Anyone stuck in 401 traffic knows how busy the 401 is—and it turns out, they’ve studied it. It really is the busiest highway on the continent. While commuters spend hours in bumper-to-bumper 401 traffic, the 407 sits half empty.

The NDP’s solution to divert commercial trucks from the 401 traffic jam to the 407 was, unbelievably, voted against by this Minister of Transportation.

So my question to the minister is, why is he turning his back on a good idea when it means commuters will sit and wait?

Speaker, people have places to go. People want to get home. They want to get to school. They want to get to work.

This government’s pet project, as we’ve heard, Highway 413, is at best 10 years away, and it may or may not make a 30-second difference in the lives of commuters.

In the meantime, removing truck tolls is a creative solution to better utilize a highway we already have, and this government won’t even talk about it.

Now that the Minister of Transportation has had a moment to think about it, would he like to correct his record and vote for a good idea?

Good morning, everyone. My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I’m sure the minister fondly remembers last year at committee when I asked him about the major transit station area approvals. It has now been 111 days since the minister told me that sign-off would be soon and that “soon” meant “very soon.”

Well, in those 111 days, not only have the Ontario Liberals released a comprehensive housing plan, including a strong focus on quickly approving and upzoning MTSAs, but also, I have had the time to order a Webster’s dictionary for the minister and I’ve highlighted the definition of “soon.” I’m happy to educate the minister on his vocabulary. “Soon” means “without undue time lapse,” “before long,” “in a prompt manner,” “straightaway,” “shortly”—some time in the 21st century.

Enough of the vague promises and false hopes. We need a specific date and time for municipalities to get shovels in the ground. Speaker, my question to the minister is, when will you approve the MTSAs for Toronto and Ontario?

If the government truly believes that they’re delivering on their housing plan, let’s look at their track record: Limit exclusionary zoning in municipalities through binding provincial action? Nope, hasn’t been done. Allow as-of-right zoning up to unlimited height and unlimited density in the immediate proximity of individual major transit stations? Nope, hasn’t been done. Allow as-of-right zoning up to six to 11 storeys with no minimum parking requirements on all streets utilized by public transit? Nope, hasn’t been done.

I could go on, because they have yet to implement 52 of 55 recommendations from their own housing task force.

Speaker, the Ontario Liberals have a bold housing plan. In 2026, under Bonnie Crombie, we will fix the many, many disasters and crises this government has created—

Interjections.

Interjections.