My question is for the Solicitor General. Since the implementation of this disastrous carbon tax, Ontarians are paying more for everything, from their grocery bills to fuel costs. With another hike being imposed next week, people in my riding of Brantford–Brant are concerned about the impact of this regressive tax on public safety.

Speaker, firefighters play a critical role in safeguarding our communities. There are few more noble jobs and few more selfless people than those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.

That’s why I am so proud to serve as a volunteer firefighter at Station 7 St. George in the county of Brant.

And to my colleagues, thank you for always having my back.

We know that increased costs of fuel and procurement directly affect the essential services that ensure our safety and well-being.

The federal Liberals need to scrap this tax today.

Could the Solicitor General please explain to the House the effect the carbon tax is having on firefighting in the province of Ontario?

Unlike the opposition NDP and the independent Liberals, our government recognizes that this tax is punishing hard-working Ontarians.

Speaker, people in my riding are worried about how the carbon tax is placing a strain on our public safety system. All Ontarians deserve to live safely in their communities, and they are counting on our front-line first responders to ensure their security and well-being. Even if the NDP and the Liberals won’t, we must always stand with our public safety heroes.

Can the Solicitor General further elaborate on the importance of cancelling the carbon tax for the firefighters of the province of Ontario?

I thank the member for her presentation. Yesterday, I hosted a health care town hall in my riding, and it’s very clear that people in Ontario are opposed to the privatization of health care. Polling on this issue reflects that as well. Overwhelmingly, Ontarians don’t want to see the health care system privatized.

There was also an acknowledgement that, while things have gotten a lot worse under the Ford Conservatives, it didn’t start there. The problems in our health care system started long before, and in fact, under the Liberal government, we did see further privatization of our health care services, of home care and of long-term care.

My question to the member is, it sounds like the member and her colleagues have changed their position, and I hope they have. Could she commit that our health care system will remain publicly funded and publicly delivered in its entirety?

I’d like to ask the minister: We had 15 years of a previous government that ignored northern Ontario; referred to it as a “no man’s land”; did not respect, I think, the opportunities that were available to all Ontarians by working with northern Ontario to really develop opportunities and grow our economy.

You’ve talked a lot about the mining sector today and how we can do that. I’d like you to elaborate on that: on how the investments of this government and what this government is doing in the budget are really going to assist northern Ontario and drive mining forward, and how they’re going to help integrate the northern economy into success for all Ontarians.