I want to introduce members from Beef Farmers of Ontario: Joe Dickenson, Jim Whitley, Thomas Brandstetter, Evan Chaffe and thank Craig McLaughlin, president, for the meeting earlier this morning. Thank you for all you do to grow Ontario’s beef industry. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It’s pretty obvious that Ontarians are having a hard time buying groceries. That’s why people with jobs are being forced to go to food banks. You know who else is having a hard time? The farmers who actually produce the food. They’re having a hard time paying their bills. Who else? The processors are having a hard time making their margins.

You know who isn’t having a hard time? The monopolies who control the grocery business. Their profits are going up higher than inflation, and they keep going up. The monopolies, which this government seems to be the gatekeepers of—because they support them, very much so. They want to give them as much business as they can.

At what point is the government of Ontario actually going to protect the people who produce the food and the people who consume the food from the monopolies?

I would respectfully submit to the member opposite that if he really cared for farmers, the best thing he could do is support our budget, because we are bringing so much relief all across Ontario thanks to the Minister of Finance. He is engaging all of us in terms of making sure Ontario remains affordable.

Talking about affordability, we need to recognize—yes, we have the amazing Beef Farmers of Ontario in the House today. I would like to share with you that they were part of a rally on April 2 that was hosted by the President of the Treasury Board in Holland Marsh. They came together with 25 other farming and rural organizations to stand up with the Premier and myself to send a direct message to the federal Liberals, as well as the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie. That message is simple: Scrap the tax.