Again, I know that the Attorney General has been seized with ensuring that we have the proper resources in our court system to address this and the other issues that we’re facing in the criminal justice system.

But as I said, and I want to be very clear about this to the Leader of the Opposition and to colleagues on all sides of the House: Everything is on the table. We want to look at every aspect of this so that we can come with a Team Ontario approach to how we deal with the challenges that are being faced. It could include issues with respect to the criminal justice legislation from the federal government. It could definitely include the supports that we already have in place. How do the courts deal with this? What are victims? What are the challenges that victims have faced in addressing some of the concerns? Are there obstacles? Are there roadblocks?

I would suggest that everything should be on the table. Should the committee accept this challenge, we will authorize them and provide them all the necessary resources that they need to travel the entire province, to go to other jurisdictions, if need be. We will do better, and we can accomplish that together, Mr. Speaker.

But it is clear to us, Mr. Speaker, that more needs to be done and that we need greater advice, not only from parliamentarians on both sides of the chamber, but we need to hear from victims of this. We need to hear from subject matter experts. We need to hear from those who respond: What are the challenges that they are facing in helping to deal with this?

Everything is on the table. I don’t know how much more clear I can be to the Leader of the Opposition. Everything is on the table. We want to build on the programs and services that we already have, but we also want to look at other jurisdictions to see what they’re doing and how Ontario can not only copy good programs but be a leader, the way we have been in so many other ways. So we will get that job done.

Let me be very, very clear: I have every faith that a parliamentary committee, given the resources that are required, will come forward with very valuable recommendations. We have seen this time and time again. We need not look any further than the extraordinary work that was done on human trafficking, led by the member for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock but supported by all members. We have done such an amazing job on that, Mr. Speaker, that what Ontario has done has become a beacon of hope for jurisdictions around the world, and now we are going to do the same.

I trust parliamentarians to give this vigorous, vigorous study. If the committee agrees, we want to go into every part of this province. We want to go to other jurisdictions. We want to go across Canada. We want to ask our federal partners to participate in this. We will come back with a plan that works better, that improves on what we’ve already put in place and responds to the needs of victims and those who are helping victims.

Now, we’ve heard this consistently. We’ve heard this from victims. We’ve heard it from members of the opposition that they have suggestions and that we can learn. That is what this parliamentary committee will do. I’m disappointed that the opposition is frustrated by that, but I am actually very encouraged by what a parliamentary committee, working together, can accomplish.

We will leave no stone unturned to improve on what we have already built in the province of Ontario. We will look at the justice system. We will look at the services that we provide victims. We will look at ways of making it easier for victims to get those services. We will look at laws or legislation that might be on the table with the federal government that might need to be changed. We’ll look at other jurisdictions. We’ll work quickly and effectively. And we will criss-cross not only the entire province, but we will go anywhere that we need to to ensure that the people who have been victims of this and the people who provide those services get the care and the resources they need to address the—

Interjections.

The Renfrew report gave us 86 recommendations; 68 of those are provincial jurisdiction. We don’t need another study. We don’t need another study. What we need is action from this government. Sixty-eight recommendations—30 women last year were killed in 30 weeks in this province; 58 women were killed in incidents of intimate partner violence.

There is no waiting around. There is no need for more studies. They have written you the recipe for getting close to fixing this. Will the government implement the 68 recommendations of the Renfrew report?

I want to tell you that one of the issues I wanted to raise today as well is the major hurdle that so many who are escaping intimate partner violence experience. Without access to funds, survivors are facing an often impossible choice of whether or not they flee violence with their children and risk that and take the risk of ending up homeless or living in poverty or living with endless uncertainty.

The government is, I think, going to maybe call another committee together. I would again urge the government to consider simply looking at the recommendations of the Renfrew inquest. We have had so many reports over so many years. The trauma that people experience is generational. I would ask the government again, consider what you are being told by the experts, the people living on the front line, the people working on the front line, and please don’t spread this out anymore. Let’s just get this done. Accept the Renfrew recommendations.

Thank you to the very robust member from Perth–Wellington, who comes from one of the largest agricultural communities in the entire province.

The carbon tax isn’t just affecting energy bills; the cost is affecting everything that we purchase in the province and making life more unaffordable for the people of Ontario. That’s why, under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’ve fought the federal carbon tax since 2018. It is causing, obviously, a tax on greenhouses where tomatoes are grown. It’s putting a tax on the transportation to get those tomatoes to the grocery store. It’s creating a tax at the grocery store, where they’re paying the carbon tax. So, clearly, it is having a multiplying effect and driving up the cost of everything, and everybody seems to understand that across Canada except for federal Liberals and Ontario Liberals in this House.

We know the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, supports her federal cousins Justin Trudeau and Steven Guilbeault. We don’t, Mr. Speaker.

Now, the federal Liberal government wants to slap the carbon tax on everybody, and they don’t just want to slap it on now, which they did last week; they want to increase it by triple by the end of the decade, which is unheard of. It’s going to make everything in our province unattainable and more expensive.

At the same time, the NDP in this House are opposed to Bill 165—which is going to make it impossible for natural gas to be extended to these same grain farmers who want to use it to drive down their emissions from higher-emitting fuels.

So there’s only one party you can really trust when it comes to the energy system in Ontario, and that is Premier Doug Ford and our Ministry of Energy that’s making life more affordable for the people of Ontario, in spite—

Again I will remind the government House leader: You’ve had almost two years to act on that one recommendation, among others, and you soundly rejected it. So there is no trust on this side of the House, or for survivors or for victims’ families or for the advocates, that you are going to move this bill through committee in a timely fashion. So again I ask that you immediately pass it today, pass it through third reading and give it royal assent, regardless of whether the Minister of Energy wants to heckle me, previously saying that it’s not going to go do anything if it receives royal assent.

Speaker, the government rejected recommendation 4, which called on the creation of the role of a survivor advocate, and they rejected recommendation 5, to institute a provincial implementation committee dedicated to ensuring that the recommendations from the inquest are implemented and reported on. So I’m going to ask the government side: Why should survivors and their families and the service providers believe that you are not just going to send this bill to committee in the hopes that nothing actually comes out of it?

I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.

Government House leader.

Interjection.

Minister of Energy.

The next question.

To be clear, we are passing the bill through the committee, but simultaneously, we will be reaching out to committee and asking them to conclude or to begin the process of the very extensive study on all aspects of intimate partner violence, concurrent with the bill being in front of committee. We will have the ability to call the ministers in this government. We will have the ability to call victims in front of the committee. We’ll have the ability to call providers of services, and we will criss-cross the entire province to find out what we can do better and how quickly we can enact some of those changes.

Look, I can sit here and highlight all of the great work that the ministers have done to address this, but I don’t think today is the day for that. What we’re going to do is we are going to engage all parliamentarians in an effort to replicate the great work that we did on human trafficking. I think members on both sides of the House will agree that what we accomplished on human trafficking is an example of Parliament working at its best. I believe that we can do the exact same thing here, and we will provide the resources necessary to do just that.

As I said, there is no point in us highlighting all of the extraordinary work that has been done already—I think there are a lot of things that we can be very proud of, but we have to do more, right? We’ve heard that loud and clear, that more has to be done. There needs to be more work done with respect to how it is impacting northern communities. We’ve heard from various other communities too that it is impacting them in different ways. We’ve heard, frankly, across the country, from our partners in other provinces, that more work needs to be done in co-operation with each other and, of course, the people who provide services to the victims have asked for better coordination.

So yes, absolutely, we will work quickly. We will do an extensive study. The committee can work as quickly as it possibly can, and we will provide it with the resources that it needs to get the job done properly and provide Parliament with recommendations that we can act upon as quickly as possible.

My question is to the Minister of Energy. We all know that the people of Ontario are struggling with the rising costs of food, fuel and everyday essential items because of the federal Liberal carbon tax. However, when Premiers of all political stripes—NDP, Liberal, PC—

Interjections.

When I speak to farmers in my riding of Perth–Wellington, I constantly hear about how the production—

We know that the rising expenses for our hard-working farmers are only making food more expensive for all Ontarians. The federal government needs to act now and get rid of this regressive tax.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how the carbon tax is driving up the costs of everything for Ontarians, especially—

Speaker, our farmers need our support, and that’s why our government continues to fight this disastrous Liberal carbon tax every step of the way. But the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, has never seen a tax she does not like. To this date, the Liberals in this place still refuse to stand up against this carbon tax.

Can the minister please tell this House why Ontario families cannot afford this tax increase that Bonnie Crombie is planning for?

Has the Premier lifted a bale of hay?

Supplementary question? The member for Kiiwetinoong.

The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

First Nations policing is funded as a program, not as an essential service. Extra resources are needed to ensure women experiencing intimate partner violence on-reserve get the referrals to victim services they need. If First Nations policing were essential services, they wouldn’t need to apply to get this kind of funding.

Speaker, will this government stop underfunding First Nations police support services?

I want to thank the member for the question. We take public safety all across Ontario very, very seriously. And as the federal government is considering making it an essential service, as the member opposite said, this is something that we will absolutely support. But in the meantime, as the member knows, as the Community Safety and Policing Act came into force just last week, First Nation police communities have the right to opt in, and we hope they do, so that we will continue to fund adequate policing services and to provide those monies for the communities that they need.

I take this responsibility very, very seriously. I take public safety across Ontario very seriously.

My question is for the Minister of Transportation. The carbon tax is hurting our economy and businesses. When I spoke with many families and business owners just last week in my great riding of Newmarket–Aurora, they were telling me that they feel that the federal Liberals are out of touch.

They are especially concerned about how the federal government is adding to the cost of living by increasing the carbon tax yet again. People in our province are already struggling with high interest rates and living expenses. The last thing they need is another tax hike. Unlike the opposition NDP and the independent Liberals, our government will not stop until the federal Liberals scrap the tax once and for all.

Can the minister please explain the impact the federal carbon tax is having on Ontario families and businesses?

Can the minister please explain the impact the federal carbon tax is having on our trucking industry?

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right. In fact, last week, we joined farmers, truckers, small businesses owners and workers in urging the federal government to scrap the 23% increase to our carbon tax.

We know it makes life harder for businesses and families across this province. While those businesses and families are struggling, the federal Liberals continue to pursue an increase to the federal carbon tax, and we know there are going to be more of these. But what’s most surprising is that Bonnie Crombie and the provincial Liberals refuse to add their voice in asking the federal government to scrap the carbon tax.

We will always be supporting small business owners, truckers, and farmers in our fight to stand united against this carbon tax.

But let’s listen to the Ontario Trucking Association that says that the carbon tax raises the cost of deliveries by 6%. That doesn’t even take into consideration the cost to truckers as they deliver these goods: $15,000 to $20,000 is what the carbon tax costs a long-haul truck driver in this province. That is $15,000 to $20,000 that could be going towards their families. That’s $15,000 to $20,000 that could be going to them to make life more affordable and easier for themselves.

We continue to call on the federal government and our provincial Liberals to condemn this 23% hike because we need to support the drivers and the people of this province.

My question is to the Premier. Eighteen months ago, I stood here—right here—demanding action on the Renfrew county recommendations. What did we get? Half measures and empty promises.

Since then, Niagara declared that intimate partner violence is an epidemic. Since then, Niagara’s women’s shelters, like Gillian’s Place and Gateway, have had to turn away nearly 1,000 women for lack of space.

It’s a disgrace, a complete disgrace. You’ve had a plan on your desk for two years and to agree to only now commit to another study is, frankly, not enough.

Minister: Boost the shelters. Commit to increase base funding, and give our survivors the resources and affordable housing they desperately need right now. Minister, if you’re serious about inter-partner violence and you care about the survivors and respect them, when will you act on this and implement it?

I’m wearing purple today in support of the very brave women who endure violent and often unseen crimes. There is no excuse for violence against women, ever.

The Violence Prevention Coordinating Council of Durham represents 35 local agencies and they have reported a significant increase in demand for assistance. These aren’t numbers; these are women.

I’m pleased that Durham region, a year ago, adopted the number one recommendation of the Renfrew county inquest: to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in this province. We’re glad to hear that the province is going to, but I can’t just say, “Thank you.” I’m going to say that many women that Luke’s Place resource centre supports and is working with don’t have access to a lawyer. Legal aid could waive the eligibility requirements for victims of domestic violence. The province could put money into legal aid.

So we’re going to ask for specifics: Will the government put money into legal aid to ensure women leaving abuse have the legal support that they need?

I thank the honourable member for the question, and I thank all the members here in this House. Mr. Speaker, through our government, I thank the leadership of Premier Ford.

We have made this very clear from day one: This is an issue that affects all communities across the province, one that requires action, which is why, in December, Minister Williams joined me in announcing Ontario-STANDS. Mr. Speaker, it was a statement to the province that we take this issue seriously and we backed that up by investment, working with the federal government.

I’ve said this throughout the entire time that I’ve been a minister at this ministry: No woman or girl in this province should ever have to live with the fear of violence or threat or exploitation. We will stand with them. We will make sure every single provider that’s helping, in partnership with us across the province, will have a partner in our government. We will not let them down, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, through Ontario-STANDS, as I mentioned, when we work with the federal government, there are plenty of initiatives and supports in this statement and this action plan that the province has put forward.

The investments that we announced in December to all the partners on the ground—an additional $18 million for the duration of this fiscal year. That investment will increase. In budget 2024, an additional $13.5 million was added to the support.

There’s a lot of great work that’s being done underground by service providers and partners. We want to make sure they have the resources to be able to provide those supports. That needs to be backed by investments. We passed legislation to make sure that happens so that people are protected, but that needs to be backed by investments. I thank the Premier for the commitment, and I thank the Minister of Finance.

As I said, we will not let them down. We will make sure they have the supports they need on the ground to help every single person in every community.

Mr. Speaker, retired judges have warned this Premier to give up his agenda of taking away Lady Justice’s blindfold and replacing it with blue-tinted glasses. Justice doesn’t come from judges thinking like the Premier, but from judges believing they have a duty to follow the law and their conscience, and to serve the people.

For everyday disputes, people rely on Ontario’s tribunals and expect to get a fair shake. The powers that be can’t just do whatever they want. But under this government, experienced adjudicators appointed under the previous government were not reappointed, leaving many vacancies. The Landlord and Tenant Board, the Social Benefits Tribunal and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario lost 35% of their members by 2020.

Will the Premier admit that he is taking his time to find and appoint like-minded adjudicators for Ontario’s tribunals?

Will the Premier acknowledge the grief and financial losses because landlords and tenants and victims of accidents, harassment and discrimination have had to wait too long? Will he admit that this can’t happen again whenever the government changes?

Will he support Bill 179, the Fewer Backlogs and Less Partisan Tribunals Act and send it to committee?

To reply, the Attorney General.

Not only are the tribunals independent, but so is the recruitment process.

I’m very proud of the fact that we have doubled the number of Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicators in the last little while.

It’s unfortunate that the tremendous members that we have across the 15 tribunals under MAG are being slighted by the member opposite. They are professionals who are doing the work of the people of Ontario in an independent and fair manner, and it really is unfortunate that the member wouldn’t celebrate that with us.