My question is for the Premier. Speaker, the public still remembers the bread price-fixing scandal where grocers reached a secret agreement to inflate the cost of bread for more than 14 years. They said they were sorry, but since then big corporations’ profits continue to reach all-time highs while Ontarians’ monthly budgets get tighter, and shrinkflation means we’re literally getting less for our money.

Speaker, something just doesn’t smell right in Ontario’s grocery stores. Can the Premier tell Ontarians what he’s doing to hold big corporations accountable and put a stop to price gouging?

It’s time to stop cozying up to powerful billionaires and start taking a much closer look at their business practices. Speaker, what is the Premier doing to investigate price gouging and make sure Ontarians aren’t getting ripped off on groceries?

My question is for the Premier. We all know that we have the most expensive Premier’s office in the history of this province, by far. The Premier has doubled the budget and tripled the number of staff that have six-figure salaries. That’s right, Speaker, tripled. Their average salary is more than double the median family income. That’s right, Speaker, double the median family income.

At a time when Ontario families are just struggling to keep their heads above the water, this Premier and his office, they’re swimming in gravy. Speaker, through you, when will this Premier stop the gravy train that is his office?

Speaker, let me tell you, the most expensive Premier’s office in the history of this province was the one that preceded this government, the Kathleen Wynne Premier’s office. You know why? Because it cost us 300,000 jobs. It cost us massive amounts of economic development. It cost us job creation. It cost us trade. It hurt our students.

Remember when our students were discovering math instead of learning math? That was under the previous Liberal government.

You know all of those doctors that aren’t practising right now? That was because they closed the medical schools. Instead of thinking about it 15 years ago, they closed the medical schools. They didn’t hire nurses; they laid them off.

We built long-term-care homes. We’re building more hospitals. We’re building roads, transportation—700,000 people have the dignity of a job who didn’t under the previous Liberal government.

That member can talk about gravy train all he wants, but the only thing we’re doing is building an economy out of the ashes of what was left behind by the previous Liberal government.

My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. The Trudeau Liberals continue to hike taxes and raise costs, despite businesses and workers pleading to them to stop. You would think that when people are struggling to deal with higher costs, governments would act to lower costs and provide relief, as our government has done.

Instead, the Liberal solution to higher costs is to make things even more expensive with their carbon tax. They’re running the same playbook as Ontario’s previous Liberal government, but it seems they haven’t asked them how it worked out for our province, and particularly for my community of Windsor–Tecumseh. Can the minister explain to the Liberals why keeping costs low is crucial for economic growth?

We need the federal government to recognize that the Liberal experiment of high-tax policies has repeatedly been tested and has failed each and every time. At 17 cents a litre, the carbon tax is already putting a strain on household budgets, while forcing businesses to make difficult choices. Can the minister explain why the Liberals should scrap their carbon tax and focus on measures that reduce costs, not raise them?

Supplementary question.

The next question.

If the Liberals need any proof that lowering taxes and reducing costs create the conditions for economic growth, they can look right here at Ontario. In April, Ontario led the nation in job creation, adding 25,000 new good-paying jobs, including 5,800 new jobs in our manufacturing sector. Manufacturing employment is now at its highest level in 15 years. That’s what happens when you lower taxes and reduce 500 pieces of red tape.

Can you just imagine if the Liberals came along with us and reduced taxes instead of adding taxes like they’re doing? We are showing the Liberals the way, and we need them to come around to our side and scrap the tax today.

The new listing of all active cranes in North America just came out, and Toronto is leading North America. We have 221 active cranes. To put it into perspective, that is more cranes than all 12 major US cities combined.

That’s the power of what’s happening here in Ontario, and that’s what happens when you lower taxes. We need the federal Liberals to follow our lead and scrap the carbon tax.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, through you to the member opposite, for that question. I know the member opposite follows our budgets very closely. That’s why, back in 2022, this government acted early to combat the affordability crisis by cutting the gas tax. With that measure, along with others—10 cents a litre, Mr. Speaker.

And guess what? Cutting the gas tax doesn’t just help all those people who can’t take subways or public transit, who have to take their kids to school or drive to work or get to the hockey rink; it helps the people who grow the food. It helps the people who grow: the great farmers in this great province.

Mr. Speaker, you also have to distribute the food to get to the distribution centres. That costs money, gas money, and we’ve reduced that. In fact, what you should do is go call one—I’ll stop there—but one Jagmeet Singh up in Ottawa and get them to lobby the federal government to cut the carbon tax.

This is a government that believes in cutting fees. Do you remember those licence plate stickers? Well, they’re done. They’re gone. Right, Premier? They’re done, they’re gone, putting 120 bucks for those who have to drive.

But it doesn’t stop there. One Fare from this minister, one integrated fare for the daily rider—that’s saving up to $1,600 a year. That’s real money so they can buy groceries, pay the rent, pay the mortgage and, yes, pay for gas, which is now over 10 cents a litre cheaper because this government took action and took action early.

We’re going to be voting on the budget very soon. I would like to implore this member opposite and the whole team to support our—

Interjection.

The supplementary.

The Premier can reply.

The next question.

The member for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Our government is making the investments that Ontarians need to ensure that there are options for home care in Ontario. After years of neglect by previous governments—the Liberal government propped up by the NDP, which that member was a member of the party—we are investing over $1 billion in home care, and in this year’s budget, we’ve added another $2 billion to our home care over the next three years. Our landmark investment in home care will ensure that those who choose to stay in their home will be able to stay longer with the care they need.

Speaker, as we announced this year in our budget, we are also expanding our primary care. We are investing $543 million over the next three years to ensure that over 600,000 Ontarians get the care they need when they need it.

We’ll continue to invest in our hospitals by committing close to $1 billion to ensure that they have the tools they need to supply convenient care close to home.

Strong home and community care is part of the government’s plan for connected and convenient care. That is why we passed the Convenient Care at Home Act, to streamline the home care system. In partnership with hospitals, primary care and Ontario health teams, Ontario is expanding and improving access to home and community care. We’re investing $2 billion over the next three years in home care. That is on top of $1 billion over three years in the 2023 budget. We are taking bold and innovative action to ensure Ontarians can connect to the care they need, where they need it and when they need it.

My question is for the energetic Minister of Energy. The federal carbon tax is raising the cost of everything: heating, eating, driving and even recreation. Yes, Justin Trudeau and Carbon Crombie want to tax your family for simply having some fun. Unsurprisingly, this is also forcing businesses to pay more taxes. It is clear that the carbon tax is punishing the very people it claims to protect: our families, our businesses and our future generations. That’s simply not acceptable.

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

Speaker, Ontario families are feeling the squeeze. They want the federal government to scrap the carbon tax now.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just find it very ironic coming from that member when he bankrupted the province. He lost 300,000 jobs. The largest expense ever—ever—was under Kathleen Wynne.

Just a little FYI, through the Speaker: I’m the only Premier in the history of this province who has never expensed a penny—not one penny. Not a chocolate bar, not a Coca-Cola, nothing. Zero. The only Premier in the history of this province who has never expensed anything.

My question is to the Premier. Speaker, on Thursday, I introduced my motion to create a direct financial benefit to unpaid caregivers in the province of Ontario. It has support from several advocacy groups, from the Canadian Cancer Society to the Alzheimer Society to MS Canada.

I’ve heard directly from my constituents, including John, a caregiver for his wife, who lives with dementia. John told me he is going through hell, and he said caregivers deserve the recognition from this government.

Will the Premier and his party support my motion to help John and the other 3.3 million caregivers across the province of Ontario?

Back to the Premier: Our office has received support from people right across the province of Ontario on our motion, including Karen from Grimsby, whose sister is the primary caregiver for her husband, who lives with ALS. Because of her caregiving responsibilities, she has lost their job, and now they are burning through their savings and struggling to survive.

I also heard from Nicole from Scarborough Centre, who can’t work because of her caregiving responsibilities, but she is not eligible for financial assistance.

Speaker, again, will the Premier support my motion to help the 3.3 million caregivers with stories like this right across the province of Ontario?

Interjections.

Despite that answer, they’re still swimming in gravy.

This gravy train doesn’t actually end in the Premier’s office; it runs right through it. When staff leave, it’s like a return trip, this time as a lobbyist. The Premier’s former chief of staff, Amin Massoudi, he was famous for that Vegas trip. We all remember. We don’t have the story quite straight yet. Here’s the thing: As if that greenbelt gravy wasn’t enough for Mr. Massoudi, we learned last week that he tried to engage the town of Brighton in a lucrative contract to lobby the Premier’s office. It was only after he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar that he declined the contract.

If the Premier won’t stop the gravy train that is his office, could he at least stop it from running right through it?

Interjections.

Supplementary.

Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker, we wouldn’t be talking about Ontario Place had the Liberals and NDP not left this historic place in a state of neglect and disrepair.

There is no better time to bring this iconic destination back to life, making it a remarkable, world-class destination for people of all ages to enjoy. Our government believes in getting things done and built, not neglected like the opposition and the Liberals. That is why we remain committed to the people of this province that we will be doing a comprehensive redevelopment of Ontario Place and we will bring it back to life.

Some good news to share is that recently Infrastructure Ontario has issued a request for qualifications to begin the procurement process to identify a team that will design, build, finance and maintain the new state-of-the-art facility for the Ontario Science Centre.

We are getting things done.

Mr. Speaker, we believe that the government has done its due diligence and now is the time to bring this iconic destination back to life, unlike the Liberals and NDP, who neglected this place.

Ontario Place has a special spot in the hearts and minds of the people of this province, and people only trusted this government because this government is building infrastructure—not only building hospitals, schools and Highway 413; we are bringing remarkable destinations and historic places like Ontario Place and the science centre back to life.

My question is to the Premier. Amir Remtulla, who was the chief of staff to the late Mayor Ford, is also a registered lobbyist for the Therme Group. Ontarians and accountability watchdogs widely suspect that this government’s Ontario Place plot is just another insider deal. Amir Remtulla has been an insider for so long that he appears on the registry of the Premier’s family furniture. And don’t forget that he also lobbied this government for the De Gasperis greenbelt grab.

So on behalf of everyone wondering—yes or no, simple answer—did lobbying by Amir Remtulla help convince the Premier to subsidize the destruction of Ontario Place with hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money?

But as a former Toronto city councillor, I want to ask the Premier a question which I know he knows the answer to. When I look at Therme’s Ontario Place plan, I cannot get over that the business model is flawed—something we’ve seen before. It reminds me of another bad plan about reckless development on the waterfront.

When Amir Remtulla worked for then-Mayor Ford, there was a nonsensical plan to build a downtown casino at Ontario Place. Building a downtown mega casino was championed by the mayor and his brother—now the Premier.

Once Ontario Place is rezoned for commercial and entertainment uses, there is little that anyone can do to stop them from flipping the land lease for another use, perhaps a casino operator.

What does this government really hope to see happen at Ontario Place when Therme’s spa deal falls apart?

Thank you to the great member for Thornhill for that really important question. Our economic competitiveness does depend on our ability to address the over 100,000 jobs going unfilled in construction alone.

We also know that we’re facing a silver tsunami. What does that mean? One in three journeypersons are over the age of 55, and we’ve got to do more to attract new workers into the skilled trades.

It’s not only a labour shortage issue, but it also affects our productivity as a province—something we have to work to address, because when we improve our productivity, we improve our competitiveness as a province.

So what are we doing? We’ve launched a $1.5-billion skilled trades strategy. Through our skills development training stream alone, we’ve trained over 500,000 workers into a better job with a bigger paycheque. We’ve taken steps to get properly fitted PPE for women in the trades, leading to one of the highest registration years in Ontario’s history for women into the skilled trades; and tackling barriers for marginalized and racialized Ontarians. We’ve also launched foreign credential recognition, streamlined pathways, and so much more I can’t even fit it into the answer.

My question is for the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Ontario is seeing a historic labour shortage, with about 300,000 jobs going unfilled. Many of these vacancies are in the skilled trades. Speaker, the labour shortage is impacting the financial well-being of families across Ontario. It increases the cost of items they purchase every day. It disrupts businesses and their supply chains and threatens our economy’s stability.

As our province continues to grow, we need all hands on deck to build Ontario, to ensure that our province stays the best place to live, work, play and raise a family. Our government must continue to show leadership and encourage more people to enter the skilled trades.

Speaker, can the minister please share what our government is doing to address the labour shortages in the skilled trades?

The demand for skilled workers in the construction and manufacturing sector is set to grow significantly over the next decade. Many local employers have job vacancies and work opportunities that must be filled. It’s never been more important that our government take action to ensure Ontario has the tradespeople needed to build our province.

While our government is making progress that helps prepare young people for in-demand careers, there’s still more to be done. Speaker, through you, can the Minister of Education please tell the House how our government is making it easier for youth to get on a fast track to well-paying jobs in the skilled trades?

Thank you to the member from Thornhill for this important question. We are excited because this coming September, all students will now be required to take at least one technological education course, the first jurisdiction in the country to do so.

To prepare for that, we’ve expanded co-op placements in education. Compared to the Liberals in 2018, there’s been a 189% increase of students enrolled in co-op education. We are making the difference of trying to infuse working with learning, and that is the future of work.

In partnership with the Minister of Labour, we have announced the Focused Apprenticeship Skills Training program—FAST—which allows students to more than double their amount of co-op placements in grade 11 and 12, getting them an accelerated path in all 144 trades. This is going to meaningfully accelerate and supercharge the next generation of skilled workers in our province, and we’re proud to work together to get the job done.