My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. The federal government’s punitive carbon tax is making it harder for Ontario’s small businesses to survive and thrive. The job-killing tax increases the cost on everything from heating to electricity to transportation and raw materials.

Speaker, small businesses in our province are already struggling with high inflation, supply chain issues and labour shortages. The last thing we need right now is more financial burden from the federal Liberals. Our government stands squarely behind Ontario’s hard-working small business owners. We will continue to be the voice for their interest and call for an end to this carbon tax.

Speaker, can the associate minister please tell the House how this harmful tax adversely impacts small businesses in our province?

Thank you again to the member for their very passionate advocacy on this crucial issue impacting local businesses and families in their community.

In addition to the overall costs and burdens created by the carbon tax, it’s also specifically harming certain key sectors that are vital to our economy and the daily lives of Ontarians. That’s why I will be sending another letter to my federal counterparts to ask Ottawa to pay back the thousands of dollars owed in carbon tax rebates to every small business in our province.

The facts speak for themselves. According to CFIB, a shocking 82% of small businesses across this country oppose the carbon tax because it’s an unfair, economy-killing policy that compromises their competitiveness while delivering absolutely no tangible benefits.

And yet the Liberals need a reality check. The NDP continue to arrogantly dismiss these voices from the entrepreneurial backbone of our economy. Speaker, unlike—