My question is for the Premier.

As I continue to review this Conservative government’s budget, I’m left with very serious questions.

Does this budget make rent affordable for renters?

Interjection: No.

Interjection: No.

Interjection: No.

As I look upon all of us in here, I look at you as being part of my family, and also team Ontario. And I want to wish you all a happy Easter weekend.

We have an opportunity to vote for Elliot Lake to become Kraft Hockeyville 2024. Elliot Lake is one of four who are reaching the finals—the only Ontario finalist. You are team Ontario. Voting starts in less than 24 hours. So I’m asking you, on March 29 and March 30, vote for Elliot Lake to become Kraft Hockeyville 2024.

This particular matter is before the courts, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this at this time.

Mr. Speaker, let me remind this House and the public that it was the previous Liberal government, always supported by that NDP, that left this historic place, Ontario Place, in a state of neglect and disrepair.

What this government is doing is bringing Ontario Place back on the map—and will bring a remarkable, world-class destination for families to enjoy, and a brand new amphitheatre, a wellness centre, a water park facility, and a brand new science centre. Not only that; it will create thousands of new jobs and will attract four million to six million visitors annually. We are bringing an Ontario Place and a science centre that the people of Ontario will be proud of. We will bring it back on the world map.

Speaker, bragging about doubling down on failed policies is definitely not leadership.

I know who this budget is not made for. This budget wasn’t made for post-secondary students or educators. This budget wasn’t made for teachers or nurses or 1.7 million renters.

Funding in this budget is not going towards making life more affordable. It won’t improve wages for workers. It won’t keep post-secondary institutions afloat. It won’t make $10-a-day child care a reality for so many struggling families in this province.

Since this budget was not made for struggling Ontarians, Premier, tell us which corporations and private companies are set to benefit from this government’s budget. That’s your priority.

I do want to say that this government says that this budget is fiscally responsible. In reality, the government projected a $200-million surplus and instead delivered a $10-billion deficit. They have slashed post-secondary education by $425 million while almost half of Ontario’s universities are running deficits. The justice system is broken in Ontario—just ask Cait and Emily—and there’s no mention of legal aid anywhere in this budget.

Speaker, to the Premier: What will it take for this Conservative government to listen to the people of Ontario and fund the services that they rely on?

Interjections.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about some of the investments that we have been able to make in northern Ontario.

We’re investing more in northern Ontario health than any other previous government.

Our plan is investing in infrastructure, in boosting health human resources and adding educational supports for the future. We have, of course, expanded the Northern Ontario School of Medicine—over a hundred additional seats available, and 60% of those, of course, are set aside for primary care, the family doctors we so desperately need across Ontario, and particularly, acutely, in northern Ontario.

We’ll continue to make those investments because we know that when people have access to primary care multi-disciplinary teams in their communities, it makes an impact, and it ensures that people have the care they need closer to home.

I hope the member opposite will continue to advocate, but I also hope that they will acknowledge the investments that we are making in northern Ontario and across Ontario.

Road safety is a paramount focus for this government and with this transportation minister—

Last month in northwestern Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation declared a health state of emergency.

There continues to be unnecessary suffering and needless deaths across Kiiwetinoong.

Speaker, what page in the 2024 budget addresses this crisis?

Speaker, hospitals across northwestern Ontario are struggling to retain surgeons.

Patients in Sioux Lookout will be sent further away from home for surgeries that they need.

Again, what page in the 2024 budget addresses the crisis?

Speaker, what page in the 2024 budget addresses highway standards in the north?

Supplementary question?

The member for Oakville.

The member for Oakville.

The next question.

Interjections.

I’m not sure if the member opposite actually read the budget and read what people are saying about budget 2024, because what you’re saying is the complete opposite of what we’re hearing and what the people of Ontario are saying.

This is a budget that puts the people of Ontario first. The people of Ontario, like the rest of the world, continue to face economic challenges. Costs are up. People are struggling. And at this point in time, at this juncture, we could either slow down or we could continue to build—build an economy, build infrastructure, build housing, build health care—and put money back in the pockets of the people of Ontario.

This is a budget that’s getting it done for the province of Ontario.

This is a budget that is focused on affordability for the people of Ontario. This is a government that is getting it done for the people of Ontario.

We have the great Associate Minister of Transportation bringing in the One Fare program—$1,600 in savings for commuters across the GTA, whether they’re in Oakville, in York region, in Burlington. Wherever they are, that is an enormous savings for people who are travelling. Many of the staff who work at Queen’s Park actually take transit. They’re going to save a lot of money. You go and tell them that you don’t support that.

We’ve also indexed ODSP to inflation; we’ve had the largest increase in the history of Ontario.

We’re helping 100,000 additional seniors through the GAINS program.

We’ve cut the renewal fees for licence stickers and licence plates.

And, of course, we are lowering the gas tax here in Ontario, which is going to help everybody.

We are continuing to build Ontario, and we’re doing it in a fiscally responsible way. We have a path to balance, unlike every other government pretty much in Canada and the federal government.

We are investing $1 billion in municipal housing funding infrastructure—municipalities asked for this; we are delivering.

We are quadrupling the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund.

Of course, as I mentioned, we are extending the gas tax cut. Go ask the residents in your riding if they are against that tax savings.

We’re also adding an additional $100 million to the Skills Development Fund so we can continue to build Ontario.

To be clear, Ontario has hit 60% of the target. It is, of course, a 10-year target; we are entering year 6. The federal government changed the goalposts on this one and decided that the 60% is actually 28%. We’ve also hit 170% of our rehabilitation/renovation progress.

As the member knows, housing of this type is done through our service managers and our municipal partners. Our municipal partners have also written to the federal government to come firmly onside with our position that not only are we meeting our targets and not only can we meet our targets over the next four and a half years, but we have exceeded our targets in other areas.

So I would ask the member opposite if she would—instead of standing with the federal Liberals, who are going to reduce funding by $357 million—stand with us and with 444 municipalities across the province who are saying they have met their targets and will—

Mr. Speaker, I really have to disagree with the member opposite. This government is not bringing back Ontario Place. They’re giving it away in a 95-year lease to a private, for-profit spa company. And in order to do that, they passed Bill 154, which attempted to give the ministers and government officials the power to commit acts of malfeasance, misrepresentation, breach of trust and bad faith with immunity.

So my question is, what is in this dirty deal with Therme that Ontario Place for All is having to take this government to court to make them obey Ontario’s laws?

If the opposition were ever to form a government and actually function effectively, they would understand how this process works. The process was competitive and fair, as it should be. But do you know what, Mr. Speaker? I highly doubt that the opposition will ever be able to form a government with this kind of approach, which is anti-infrastructure, which is anti-building, which is anti making life affordable for the people of this province. The legacy of the opposition is leaving our historic places, like Ontario Place and the science centre, in a state of neglect and disrepair—voting against transit, voting against hospitals, opposing highways like Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass.

Mr. Speaker, the legacy of this Premier and this government is to bring our iconic destinations back to life, making them remarkable, world-class destinations for people of all—

Interjections.

Stop the clock.

Members will please take their seats.

Interjections.

Start the clock. The next question.

The supplementary question.

Thanks to the member for Markham for that great question this morning. We are powering’s Ontario growth at the Ministry of Energy. Last summer, I unveiled our plan, named Powering Ontario’s Growth, which is investing in more emissions-free, baseload, reliable nuclear power at places like Bruce Power, Pickering and Darlington. Small modular reactors are going into the ground right now, as we speak, in Darlington—the largest procurement for energy storage in Canada’s history. New, non-emitting generation is part of competitive procurements.

One thing that I couldn’t help but notice this morning was that the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, was in the media studio having a press conference that was really like a Saturday Night Live skit. Actually, it was more like a Seinfeld episode; it was a press conference about nothing.

Here I am answering question number 273 in this House about the carbon tax, something that 80% of Canadians are opposed to, but these Liberals and the federal Liberals are going to increase the carbon tax by a whopping 23% on—

Interjections.

The members of the Liberal caucus—there are some smart people over there, but I just can’t understand how they don’t realize that what is happening on Monday—Easter Monday, April Fool’s Day, carbon tax day in Ontario. Their counterparts, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, supported by the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, are going to be increasing the carbon tax on Canadians by a whopping 23% on Monday.

Mr. Speaker, 80% of Canadians are opposed to an increase in the carbon tax because they understand what it’s going to mean for the prices at the pumps, at the grocery stores and on their home heating bills.

The member from Ottawa South and the queen of the carbon tax have to understand that this is a losing proposition. We’re driving the cost of living down in Ontario, making life more affordable. They should—

Interjections.

My question is for the Minister of Energy. The carbon tax does nothing to reduce emissions. It only punishes the hard-working people of the province.

While the opposition NDP and the independent Liberals continue to support this harmful tax and vote against measures that provide Ontarians with affordable and reliable energy, our government is taking action and getting it done for the people of our province.

Last summer, the minister released Powering Ontario’s Growth and outlined our plan to continue building our province’s clean-energy advantage. I know there are major projects and procurements that are already under way.

Can the minister please tell the House how our government is providing Ontarians with clean energy as we fight against the disastrous carbon tax?

It is sad to see both the NDP and the Liberals, who are yelling in this House, demonstrate no willingness to support initiatives that provide Ontarians with affordable and clean energy. The reality is that they don’t have a plan to improve affordability and the cost of living in Ontario. All they care about is pushing their agenda of raising our taxes.

Life is already expensive for the hard-working people of our province. They need more support and more financial relief from our governments, not more punitive tax hikes. That’s why the federal government must scrap the carbon tax, and they must do it as soon as possible.

Can the minister please explain what our government is doing to protect Ontarians from the costly carbon tax?

My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The Conservatives have until tomorrow to submit a better affordable housing action plan or miss out on $357 million in federal funding. The minister likes to say this is unfair, but the facts speak for themselves. This government is on track to build just 8% of the homes they said they would build by 2025.

My question is this: Is this government going to submit a better affordable housing action plan tomorrow, or are Ontarians going to miss out?

Ontario has the worst housing crisis and homelessness crisis we’ve had in decades. It has never been more expensive to rent or buy a home; even your own budget says that.

My question is this: Is this government going to fix up and resubmit a credible affordable housing action plan, or are we all going to miss out?

Interjections.

Just to add a little more colour to this, the money that the Liberals, supported by the NDP, are not transferring to us is $357 million of the approved plan. We did a plan. The federal government approved that plan. We have paid for the plan. We have done what we said in the plan, and the federal government has decided that they’re no longer going to live up to their end of the bargain. This isn’t about future money. This is about money that has already been approved, committed under a plan that they approved. That is the difference.

What the member is suggesting that we do is go back in time, change the plan that was approved by this House, that was approved by the federal government, that we have paid for.

We are asking the federal government to live up to the commitment that they made to the people of the province of Ontario.

The plan, going forward, will meet our targets.

She should stand with us and with 444 municipalities that want—

Thank you. The next question.

The Attorney General.

The Attorney General.

Thank you to the member from Newmarket–Aurora for the question. She’s a great, great member.

We know that this carbon tax is about to go up a staggering 23% on April 1. That’s just next week, just a few days away. We know the provincial Liberals support this hike.

The Ontario Liberals, ruled by the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, refuse to call on the federal Liberals to get rid of the punitive carbon tax. In fact, if Bonnie Crombie is the queen, that makes the independent Liberals the princes and the princesses of the carbon tax. We’ve got carbon tax nobility in our midst.

To the great communities in rural Ontario: Don’t worry. Our government is saying yes to rural Ontario, keeping energy costs down. We’re cutting the gas tax, investing in northern Ontario through our biomass program—$60 million going to strengthen the forestry sector and create jobs in the north. Our government will continue to build and support rural communities across Ontario.

It’s clear from the carbon tax that the Liberals across the way just don’t want anything to be built in Ontario. It just shocks me how completely out of touch the members opposite are to think that a 23% increase in the carbon tax is acceptable and a way to build Ontario.

But it’s no surprise that the Liberals and the NDP aren’t listening to the people. Why expect them to start now? The people have been talking about the carbon tax for years, and the members opposite have done absolutely nothing about it.

But we’re doing something about it. We’re extending the removal of the gas tax—14 cents on every litre, ensuring that resources can move across Ontario to get houses, roads, transit lines built for Ontarians.

We’re building the province at a rate the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, and her Liberals could never imagine. We’ll continue to do that and continue to support Ontarians and the building of this great province every step of the way, despite the carbon tax.