What Bill 7 has allowed hospitals to do is to actually ensure that they have beds available for people who need them in an acute way. The treatments, the ongoing rehabilitation that happens outside of a hospital setting is made available because of the ability for hospitals to ensure that alternative-level-of-care patients are being looked after in different places, whether it is in community, whether it is in our long-term-care homes.

I’m proud of the fact that we’ve had over 2,000 individuals have a home in their community because we’ve taken the time, working with our long-term-care partners, with our hospital partners, to make sure that they have the appropriate care in the appropriate place—a home.

We have a legal opinion that says putting out those numbers would put at risk individuals’ identity—to be identified. We’re protecting patients to ensure that doesn’t happen.

We have ensured that such a small number had to be billed by their local hospitals. We want to make sure that the work is at the hospital and the community, working with the most appropriate placement, and we will continue to do that.

Speaker, this government has a plan. Let’s contrast that plan with the plan that the Liberals—or lack thereof—had since 2003, 21 years ago. They held that power until 2018. In that time, when they exited government, 611 net new beds to show for their efforts. That’s not enough for an aging population. This government knows that.

That’s why, since assuming office, we introduced the largest capital expansion plan in this country’s history to build and redevelop 58,000 spaces for our great seniors in this province of ours. To date, 18,000 spaces have been built or are under construction. However, we are facing challenges indeed, thanks to this carbon tax and the 23% increase on April 1. In fact, that’s why this budget introduces over $155 million to help our government continue to build Ontario’s long-term-care sector, an additional $200 million that homes can use towards capital development.

We have two minutes and 25 seconds until we vote on that budget. It’s never too late to do the right thing. I hope the Liberals vote in favour.

To the member’s point: a 40.5% increase in construction costs in that member’s riding. That is a severe challenge to getting these spaces online and we know that we need it. I know that member’s riding. I have visited that member’s riding. It is a diverse riding. People come here from all over the world, and what we all have in common is that somewhere in our lives, we have a senior who built our lives as we know it, who gave us the opportunities that we have in this great country of ours.

Stand with us, to the Liberal Party over there. Stand against the queen of the carbon tax and say to axe this tax. Let’s get shovels in the ground. Let’s take care of our seniors in this great country.