Not even two weeks ago, I asked the Premier about a fraction of the funding the Greater Hamilton Health Network is going to receive as one-time funding. This is an Ontario health team who brought many expert voices to the table to build a plan which, if fully funded, would provide 55,000 Hamilton-area residents with a family doctor, a health team that has innovative strategies, dedicated home care professionals and team-based care close to home.

The minister talks a good game but is leaving people without a family doctor. Premier, why are you undermining and underfunding the very same groups that you created?

So let me get this clear: We have expanded primary care multidisciplinary teams in the amount of over a billion dollars since February. That equates to 78 new primary care health teams, multidisciplinary teams, community health centres—yes, including in the Hamilton area and the Niagara region.

We are making those investments. So, respectfully, to the member opposite and the members of her party: Why did you vote against those investments yesterday?

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Every industry in Ontario is negatively impacted by the carbon tax. This punitive tax adversely affects our businesses, economy and Ontario workers, including those in the natural resource sector. Not only does this federally imposed carbon tax make raw materials more expensive, but it also impacts the entire supply chain, resulting in higher costs for everything and everyone.

While the federal government, supported by the independent Liberals and the opposition NDP, is content to pass these costs on to individuals who are already financially struggling, our government knows that Ontarians deserve better. That’s why we will continue to call on the federal Liberals to scrap the tax once and for all.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how the carbon tax is negatively impacting industries in the natural resource sector and consumers across Ontario?

The federal Liberals and their provincial counterparts are out of touch with how the carbon tax is negatively impacting individuals and families across Ontario. Recently the Parliamentary Budget Officer found that most households will lose income due to the federal carbon tax. Specifically, the report states that 60% of households in Ontario and other provinces will pay more in carbon taxes than they receive in rebates.

Speaker, the hard-working people and business owners who power our economy have had enough. They want to see this tax scrapped now. The federal government must eliminate the carbon tax. Can the minister please elaborate on how our government is delivering relief to the people of Ontario as we fight the carbon tax?

Thank you to the member from Oxford for that great question.

You know, I’ll give the Liberals this: They’re consistent—consistently on the wrong side of supporting affordability for Ontarians, because their leader, the queen of the carbon tax, just wants to double down and say no all the time: no to northern Ontario, no to affordability measures, no to building homes and key infrastructure, no to reducing emissions while creating jobs.

Mr. Speaker, we know what the Liberals are all about. They had years and years and years to get something done. Instead, they drove manufacturing jobs out of this province by the hundreds of thousands. They neglected to build long-term-care beds. They certainly neglected to support northern Ontario. Well, we support northern Ontario in this government, and we support getting rid of a carbon tax that is nothing but punitive to northern Ontario and the natural resources sector.

Interjections.

I know the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, won’t listen to us about the carbon tax—again, consistency; I’ll give them that. But maybe she’ll listen to the federal Parliamentary Budget Officer, who said that Ontarians will pay $478 more per household because of the federal carbon tax. They said in the year 2030, the average financial loss for Ontarians would be close to $2,000 per household.

It’s a shame the members opposite are putting politics ahead of Ontario’s families and businesses. Our government cut the fuel tax by over 14 cents a litre. Our government supports innovation in creating jobs and reducing emissions. Our government is creating more jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets, and our government is delivering relief for people here in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, the answer is clear. We need to support Ontarians in an affordability-challenged time. The Liberals need to stand up and scrap this tax.

I’ll ask the member for Brampton North and the member for Ottawa South to come to order.

The member for Oxford: supplementary question.

My question is to the Premier. Ontario Place for All has released a comprehensive audit that shows the Therme mega spa project cannot succeed without hundreds of millions of dollars in public taxpayer subsidies. Therme was just recently at risk of bankruptcy. We still don’t know the source of their financing, but they have a secret 95-year lease for prime Toronto waterfront.

The public deserve to know what you’ve signed us up for. Premier, why won’t you release the details of the lease with Therme?

Mr. Speaker, if this is such a good deal for Ontario taxpayers, then release the lease.

These are the tax subsidies for Therme that we know about: parking garage, $450 million; infrastructure, $200 million; science centre moving, $400 million; an apparently free 95-year lease on public parkland; and the maintenance of a portion of Therme’s roof.

That report from Ontario Place for All yesterday suggested that they may not be able to attract enough customers to actually pay for their business model to turn a profit.

So, the question is, if they go bankrupt, as they almost did in 2019, what does the secret lease say? Are Ontario taxpayers going to be stuck with a billion-dollar boondoggle on the waterfront, or will we be stuck subsidizing Therme’s failed business model for the next 95 years?

My question is for the Solicitor General. Despite opposition from provincial leaders of all political stripes, last week the federal government hiked the carbon tax by another 23%. Ontarians are now forced to pay an extra 17.6 cents per litre on gas. We know that the impact does not stop only on gas, Speaker. How is that right?

The federal Liberals, much like their provincial counterparts, don’t seem to care about the impact this punitive tax has on various sectors in our province.

Speaker, I’ve heard from people in my riding who are concerned about affordability issues and how this additional tax bill will affect our public safety.

Speaker, can the minister please explain the implications of the carbon tax on front-line workers who keep Ontario safe?

I want to thank the member from Ajax for the question. She knows how hard first responders and police officers and firefighters work, and everyone that keeps Ontario safe.

Mr. Speaker, last night, I attended the Toronto Police College to watch people receive awards for doing heroic acts. They work hard every day, but like everybody else in Ontario, like everybody else on April 1, they’re now paying 3.3 cents more a litre on fuel and on diesel. Let me put this into context: An average police car, an average vehicle in public safety, is now paying over $2,000 more a year just for the increase on April 1.

And do you know what, Mr. Speaker? Bonnie Crombie served on the board of the Peel police service board. This is absolutely true. She should come clean with the people of Ontario and say, “I’m not going to support this tax.”

Interjections.

Thank you to the Solicitor General for that response. It’s encouraging to hear how, unlike Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals and the opposition NDP, our government stands up for the hard-working men and women who keep our communities safe.

Last week’s hike is one of the many planned increases from the federal government. The federal Liberals actually want to exponentially increase what they call “a price on carbon” until 2030. Enough is enough. We know that front-line workers deserve to have the support and resources they need to protect Ontarians instead of paying for additional fuel costs because of the carbon tax. It is time to scrap the tax.

Can the Solicitor General explain the effects of the costly carbon tax on our public safety system?

The carbon tax is paid on everything that’s involved in public safety. Mr. Speaker, let me be specific, because it’s important for the people who live in Milton, as an example, to know that Halton police service has to pay the carbon tax on their vehicles—and they can call Chief Steve Tanner if they want to know—and for the people living in Strathroy, they can call Chief Mark Campbell.

But I want to give another fact to the Legislature. Bonnie Crombie, as the mayor of Mississauga, knew exactly what the fire department budget is there. So let her know this: Because of the 3.3 cents that went into effect on April 1, on this regressive tax, an average fire truck now has to pay over $2,000 a year just for the latest increase. She’s out of touch with reality. She should come clean with the people of Ontario.

Absolutely. The first thing I hope you have recommended to your constituent is that she sign up for Health Care Connect. It’s a little-known fact that, in fact, individuals who are on Health Care Connect and have signed up to get connected with a primary care physician have a 90-day-or-less matching rate, so there is an existing process there.

In terms of expanding primary care, I want to remind the member where we were. Under the previous NDP government, your government actually cut medical residency seats by 10%. The Liberal government, when they were in power, cut residency positions by 50 seats per year. What has that put us into? A position where we are building the health care system.

We are expanding. Last week, we had an incredible announcement in Vaughan with the Minister of Education, announcing a brand new medical school that is coming to Vaughan. This medical school will actually focus on training primary care family physicians. That’s what we’re—

I have to give a shout-out to one of our members. Minto township, in fact, has already hired a nurse practitioner and they are already seeing new patients from a February announcement. These are the changes that are happening in our communities across Ontario, and we’ll continue to get it done.

My question is to the Premier. For years, my constituents have been contacting my office looking for help to find a doctor. Over 2.2 million people in Ontario are without a primary care provider. The government has made announcement after announcement, but yet, we haven’t seen doctors.

My constituent Kathleen has not had a family doctor for over nine years. She has MS and has recently lost her doctor who specializes in MS care and cannot find another neurologist. Can the Premier tell people like Kathleen where she can find a doctor?

Kathleen, along with millions of Ontarians, had been languishing for years on Health Care Connect. They spend hours calling every doctor in London. As soon as the word gets out there’s a new doctor taking patients, they’re inundated with applications. People with pre-existing conditions find it even harder to access primary care.

Doctors are telling you that they need help with increased workloads, so they can take on more patients. Premier, will you implement the NDP’s health care strategy today to increase the number of staff supports for doctors so they can spend time treating patients instead of pushing paperwork?

My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development.

Individuals and families across Ontario, especially in northern and Indigenous communities, face unprecedented economic challenges due to additional costs arising from the Liberal carbon tax. Residents in the north rely more heavily on their vehicles for work and for other everyday essentials; it’s not fair that they’re being hit the hardest at the gas pumps.

Unlike the opposition members and independent Liberals, who remain silent even after last week’s 23% hike, our government will continue to stand up for all Ontarians and call for the end of this tax.

Can the Minister please share with the House the negative impacts of the disastrous carbon tax on the northern and Indigenous communities?

As the former Liberal MP Bonnie Crombie stood resolute with Prime Minister Trudeau as the carbon tax received royal assent, that would make her the queen of the carbon tax.

The NDP’s position has been a little bit more higgledy-piggledy. It’s not clear. They support it; they’re against it. We don’t really know.

I went on a zetetic exploration to understand from the people in Sudbury how they felt about this. One owner of a roofing company said that the carbon tax has made its way into every aspect of building materials, making it more expensive to repair homes and making it more difficult for people to decide to repair those homes.

Another fellow, Richard Diotte, the owner and president of Barné Building, said the cost for residential upgrades and repairs has gone out of control. He puts it squarely on the carbon tax. That’s not good for families, as the member for Kanata–Carleton said—

I would like to welcome to the House Mrs. Phoebe Wasfy, the principal for Philopateer Christian College, which is celebrating 25 years of excellent education in Mississauga. She is here today with Gloria Doss, the school registrar. Thank you for coming to Queen’s Park and congratulations on your 25-year anniversary. I wish you many years of success to come.

I’d like to welcome today—she’s actually just stuck in traffic, but here shortly—Sumeeta Kohli, a constituent of mine. It’s also her birthday today, so happy birthday, Sumeeta.

Interjection.

I would like to welcome to the House a long-time friend, publisher of the Uthayan Tamil newspaper and member of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada, Logan Logendralingam. Welcome to the House.

I’d like to welcome Tiffany and Scott and their family, parents of Lyra, a page. They join us and visit us from my riding of Kitchener Centre. Welcome to your House.