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.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, employing millions of workers across various sectors. I am proud to be a part of a government that has the backs of business owners and stands to support them every step of the way.

But, Speaker, many of our small businesses, including in my riding of Newmarket–Aurora, are facing significant uncertainty and cost pressures due to the impact of the Liberal carbon tax. The recent federal budget only fanned the flames by adding even more taxes to Ontario’s entrepreneurs, and that’s not right.

Speaker, through you, can the associate minister please tell the House what small business owners across Ontario have to say about the costly Liberal carbon tax?

Thank you to the great member from Newmarket–Aurora for the question. Speaker, I’ve taken part in round tables with entrepreneurs and small business owners across this province, and I can say with certainty that the concerns they’ve expressed about the federal carbon tax are deeply troubling. It’s disappointing to see that the recent federal budget did not take meaningful action to address all of these concerns. Instead, the Liberals have added additional taxes, which only compounded the challenges these small businesses are facing. I’ve heard time and time again that small business owners feel abandoned by the federal government and the Ontario Liberals and NDP, who have refused to stand up for them to their friends in Ottawa.

Speaker, I know Bonnie Crombie and the Liberals have never seen a tax hike they didn’t like, but we’re not standing down. It’s time for Ottawa to scrap the tax.

It’s my pleasure to talk briefly about a petition that I have regarding protecting farmland and sustainable growth in Waterloo region. We do know that the province of Ontario is losing 319 acres every day.

What is happening in Wilmot is that 770 acres of prime farmland are proposed to be expropriated for a large mega-industrial project. There has been no—made public any environmental assessments. No politician at any level is giving any answers or any transparency, in a democracy. This is clearly an early notice that Bill 185 is on the books and boundaries don’t mean anything anymore.

I fully support the petition and call on the Waterloo region and the provincial government to pause this irresponsible and unsustainable use of prime farmland.

Thank you again to the member for her question. The recent federal budget was terrible for entrepreneurs, with measures like increased taxes drawing harsh criticism from groups like the Council of Canadian Innovators.

Our job creators tell me these tax hikes will “stifle growth” and “demotivate Canadians from getting into business in the first place.” They’re telling me that they’re grateful that our government is pushing back against these job-killing measures and supporting our province’s job creators. But with gas prices, interest rates, fuel costs and energy rates going up because of the carbon tax, they’re having to make tough decisions when looking to start a business.

So, Speaker, you can thank the Liberals the next time a young, bright mind has a groundbreaking idea, a solid business plan and support from our province, but then decides it’s too expensive to get their business off the ground. Still, this Premier and our government will continue to stand—

The carbon tax royal love story keeps getting more and more complicated, and frankly, the king of the carbon tax Prime Minister Trudeau needs to rein it in. Now, we know he’s got the support of the queen of the carbon tax over there and Jagmeet Singh continues to vacillate, but there’s a new player, Mr. Speaker: Prince Carney, otherwise known as Mark Carney, has decided that this tax has run its course. Now, I suspect that that lines up perfectly with how Canadians feel about the tax and his prospect of replacing the Prime Minister.

Mr. Speaker, simply put, we have a more irenic solution, and that is to scrap the tax.

The ayes are 34; the nays are 71.

Just a reminder to all my colleagues that the ACTRA rally will be starting at noon on the front lawn.

So they have three requests. They want education to be free and accessible to everyone. They want a return to grants, and not loans, to reduce that amount of debt. They also want to ensure that these student union groups have the right to organize, like they fought for and won in the courts.

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Aaldrian.

I just wanted to correct the record: Earlier today, in question period, I used the number 2.2 million Ontarians that don’t have a family physician. The number is actually 2.3 million.

I have a petition that calls upon this Legislature to stop Bill 166. The petition notes that this government has made significant cuts to community mental health services and has also effectively dismantled the Anti-Racism Directorate, so this increases the pressure on our post-secondary institutions to provide student mental health services and to effectively tackle racism and hate on campus.

However, at the same time, the government has underfunded post-secondary education to such an extent that the mental health services are being limited and the anti-racism work is difficult to undertake because there are so few staff.

Bill 166 opens the door to unprecedented political interference in our colleges and universities in this province. The protection of universities from political interference is highly regarded as a cornerstone of a democratic society, which is why the petitioners, who include many, many faculty, staff and students from Western University as well as members of the community, are calling on the government to stop Bill 166, to use the powers of the Anti-Racism Act to enable the anti-racism work that critically needs to happen in this province, and to restore funding to post-secondary institutions so that they can provide student mental health services and support from equity offices.

I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature and send it to the table with page Raisa.

It’s my great pleasure to be able to present this petition titled “To Raise Social Assistance Rates” to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I want to thank Sally Palmer for getting these names collected from the residents of Grimsby.

In summary of the petition: It’s basically about, the rates for Ontario Works have been frozen since 2018, and a small increase to the Ontario Disability Support Program—have left recipients struggling well, well below the poverty line.

We on this side of the House advocate for doubling the rates of OW and ODSP—as well as the individuals who are on this petition. There was an open letter, also, to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, with signatures—over 230 organizations that recommend that social assistance rates be doubled, both with OW and ODSP.

I cannot think of a better petition to affix my name to, and I’m going to be sending it down to the table with Glynnis.

The question raises the important role of both Tarion, which provides deposit protection for new homebuyers of freehold homes, and, of course, the other administrative agency, which our government created in its first term, after inheriting a broken administrative authority system for new homebuyers from the Liberal government, supported by the NDP.

With the Home Construction Regulatory Authority, we can regulate home builders. We can weed out the bad actors. We can protect consumers. The combination of the two administrative authorities demonstrates that the system definitely works. It’s about consumer protection specifically for those freehold homebuyers, making sure their deposits are protected and the bad actors are put out of business.

It was this government that acted, that stopped the sponsored industry dinners. It was this government that created HCRA, the Home Construction Regulatory Authority, and it was this government that limited Tarion’s board to incorporate no more than a third of developers. We’re getting it done for the people and consumers of Ontario, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. McCarthy moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 194, An Act to enact the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 and to make amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act respecting privacy protection measures / Projet de loi 194, Loi édictant la Loi de 2024 visant à renforcer la sécurité et la confiance en matière de numérique et modifiant la Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée en ce qui concerne les mesures de protection de la vie privée.

The act would also enact the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024, to establish new regulation-making authorities to set requirements for cyber security, artificial intelligence, and children’s data protections for applicable public sector institutions.

The act would also provide the ability for the minister to issue directives for cyber security and children’s data protections to applicable public sector institutions.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my deputy minister and her team, and my chief of staff, Michelle Stock, and her team.

It’s been six years now since my constituents paid deposits to Greatwise Developments for new homes, and construction has still not started. A year ago, I raised this issue in the House and the government responded that they were putting bad developers on notice, making them think twice before taking advantage of homebuyers. And yet, while homes are going up all over Ottawa right now, this developer hasn’t even prepared the land to start construction.

Why is the Premier allowing a bad developer to hold homebuyers hostage with no consequences at all?

When will we finally see real action, not just words, from this government to hold bad developers accountable, so families like my constituents finally get a home in Ontario?

I’d also like to say hello and welcome to folks from AEFO, ETFO, the trustee organizations and the Toronto Schools Caregiver Coalition who are joining us online this afternoon to watch the debate on education.

I do, yes; Speaker, thank you.

Pursuant to standing order 7(e), I wish to inform the House that tonight’s evening meeting is cancelled.

Supplementary question.

The next question.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1147 to 1152.

Mr. Gates has moved private member’s notice of motion number 94.

All those in favour, please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Motion negatived.

The member for Ottawa South.

Mr. John Fraser: Point of order, Speaker: In keeping with beating my head against the wall, I seek unanimous consent that, notwithstanding standing order 45(b)(iv), the time for debate on opposition day motion number 5 be apportioned as followed: 56 minutes to each of the recognized parties and eight minutes to the independent members as a group.

There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1158 to 1300.

First reading agreed to.

Thank you to the associate minister for her response. I know that people in my riding appreciate our government’s continued advocacy for Ontario’s small business owners. Now more than ever, entrepreneurs and innovators are looking to governments to help them, not hinder them, as they continue driving innovation, job creation and economic growth. But it seems like the federal Liberals are copying the high-tax environment which saw their provincial counterparts wiped out from party status in 2018.

Speaker, through you, can the associate minister explain why the federal carbon tax is hurting entrepreneurs’ and innovators’ ability to start, grow and invest in their businesses?

This petition is titled “To Raise Social Assistance Rates.”

I want to start off by thanking Dr. Sally Palmer, who has been ongoingly sending us petitions to help advocate for people who are on ODSPoverty and OW here in Ontario.

As we know in this Legislature, we are dealing with an affordability crisis.

I can tell you that in St. Paul’s, there are several community members of mine—Cinco and his new wife, Liz, just got married in my community, and they are also folks who depend on ODSP and OW, and they are significantly struggling.

This petition is essentially calling for the government to help people get out of poverty—and that’s what ODSP and OW rates currently are. They are calling for ODSP and OW to be at least doubled, and I stress the “at least” part, because even doubling ODSP can barely get you a one-bedroom with a window in St. Paul’s.

I’m certainly proud to affix my signature on this petition calling for a doubling, at least, of ODSP, OW, so folks can get by—and not just get by, but maybe one day even thrive. And that should include people with disabilities here in Ontario.