My question today is for the Minister of Energy.

Do you know what? It has been two months since the federal government increased the carbon tax by a whopping 23%, and everything seems to be getting more expensive. Speaker, while the Liberals like to blame everyone else for the damage they’ve caused, Ontarians know that their costly tax has driven the cost of living to record highs.

The carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie, along with her Liberal caucus continue to prop up their federal buddies’ costly measures, despite witnessing the financial hardship Ontarians are facing. I hear this every day when I’m knocking on doors.

On the contrary, our government has been opposing the carbon tax since day one. We want to keep costs down for Ontarians and deliver real affordability.

Speaker, can the minister please explain why the carbon tax must come to an end?

Life is harder under the Liberal government and its flawed policies. The federal government and the Liberal members sitting in this Legislature must come to their senses and give a break to Ontarians who just want a vacation this summer.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how the carbon tax continues to hurt every single person living in this province?

Honestly, it’s an unfortunate question from the member opposite, because the member would know that members on all sides of the House would take this very seriously, and to assume anything less really is beneath the dignity of every member in this place.

The member, who is a long-time member of this House, would also know that the government does not direct committee business. The member would also know, being a long-time member, that there is a subcommittee that works on each committee, and that subcommittee is made up of a member of the NDP, and it is made up of a member of the government party. So what I would suggest the member opposite do is reach out to the subcommittee member from her party on that committee to call a subcommittee so that they could bring a study forward. I know that they have been working very closely together, in fact. The NDP member of the subcommittee and the member for Kitchener South–Hespeler have been working very closely to put together a very thorough study on this, and I trust that—

My question is for the Premier.

On May 14, this government chose to silence the voices of survivors by sending Lydia’s Law, Bill 189, straight to committee without debate, claiming it expedites the process.

Yesterday morning, I asked the Chair at justice committee if they had received instruction to review Lydia’s Law at committee. The answer I got was no. They had received no instruction. There is no timeline for when this bill will be called.

There were 1,326 sexual assault cases thrown out of court in 2022. I hope that we can agree that rapists should not be walking free in the province of Ontario.

My question to the government: Why did you silence survivors on May 14, and when will you call the bill to committee?

This government is knowingly and deliberately starving the system, and sending a message to survivors and families across Ontario that they do not care about the lived injustices that women have experienced.

If expediting was the goal of the government, why hasn’t the committee been instructed to call the bill? If you had read Lydia’s Law and if you had read Lydia’s victim impact statement, you would never have deferred this piece of legislation to committee, where it is languishing.

Lydia asked me, “Why would women report, knowing how broken the system is?” This is our opportunity to correct that system. We need to change the justice system because the status quo isn’t working, and change begins with transparency.

My question, again: When will the government call the bill at committee so that survivors can get the justice they deserve in this province?

I recognize the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health.

On May 10—this is to the Premier—last year, this government’s Minister of Health stood in this House and said, “The Minden hospital is not closing.” Yet, two weeks later, on June 1, they took down the hospital sign and they rolled the beds out in a minivan, and that hospital has been closed ever since.

The community warned this government that closing that emergency room was going to take lives.

Last summer, a father had a heart attack in Minden. He was rushed in an ambulance to the next nearest hospital, in Haliburton. He died of a cardiac arrest five minutes from the destination.

A girl with a fish hook in her eye in Minden had to be transported 30 minutes to Haliburton.

Two weeks ago, the Haliburton hospital—the one remaining emergency room in the community—was without a doctor for at least four hours.

Will this government acknowledge its mistake and reopen the Minden emergency room?

Durham hospital in West Grey is this government’s next Minden. On Monday, their emergency room will close 14 hours per day, and all in-patient beds will be closed. West Grey town council had to declare a state of emergency. South Muskoka Memorial Hospital is going down the same path, looking at closure. And the hospitals in Chesley, Clinton, Almonte, Arnprior, Campbellford, Hawkesbury, Listowel, Mount Forest, Palmerston, Seaforth, South Huron, Walkerton, Wingham—their list goes on—are not far behind.

How many rural hospitals does this minister intend to close?

For a decade under the Liberals, supported by the NDP, they underfunded the health care system, closing hospitals and hospital beds, firing nurses and cutting medical school residency spots. Our government inherited a health care system under severe pressure due to the actions of the previous Liberal government.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government has made record investments in health care. We’ve grown our health care budget by over 30% since we took office in 2018, with a record investment of $85 billion into our publicly funded health care system.

Continuing their legacy of not supporting health care across the province, both the Liberals and the NDP constantly vote against our innovative investments and the bold action our government is taking to rebuild our health care system after years of neglect.

We’ll continue to make the investments that are required to ensure that we have the best publicly funded health care system across Canada.

Last year alone, we had a record number of new nurses: 17,500 new nurses registered in Ontario, with another 30,000 nurses enrolled and studying at a college or university. But we’re not stopping there. We’re investing over $740 million to address the immediate staffing needs, supporting the expansion of over 3,000 new nursing seats at Ontario colleges and universities.

We have also expanded the Learn and Stay grant, which the opposition voted against, which pays for tuition, books and supplies for nurses and other health care workers.

We’re also funding the largest expansion of medical school spots in over 15 years, with 1,212 undergraduate and 1,637 post-graduate seats.

Order. Order.

Interjections.

The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order. The government House leader will come to order. The member for Waterloo will come to order. The member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas will come to order.

Question?

I’ll tell you what we’re not doing: We’re not driving 300,000 manufacturing jobs out of this province, like the former government did and which a punitive carbon tax would continue to do.

Instead, we have hard-working members like the member for Whitby, who is building up his community and building up Ontario, building on transit—this member takes GO train transit every day—and that’s a vision our government wants for all Ontarians.

We’re getting more cars off the road and more people into transit. If it was up to the opposition, the cost of these transit projects would go up. But no fear, Speaker: Instead, this government will continue to build transit, and we’ll lower fees by introducing the One Fare program for all Ontarians, making it more economical to get more cars on the road and to transit.

In addition, just next door to the member’s riding, we’re building the first urban provincial park. If it was up to the opposition, the cost of building this park would also go up.

But don’t worry, Speaker. This government is lowering the cost of gas by 10 cents a litre. In addition to that, we’re building the EV infrastructure by putting EV charging stations in Ontario parks and making sure we’re using clean, green steel to build these electric vehicles—again, creating jobs and building up our economy.

My question is to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

The federal carbon tax continues to drive up the cost of the goods we buy and the interest we pay. At a time when prices are out of control and people are having trouble paying their bills, the federal Liberals hiked the tax again by 23%. It’s not fair. We know that it’s possible to improve on the impacts of climate change without forcing people to pay a costly, job-killing carbon tax. The Liberals must reverse this tax, so that Ontarians can put food on their table.

Can the minister please share how our government is protecting the environment for future generations to enjoy without introducing a punitive carbon tax?

Speaker, our government continues to invest in the future of Ontario and create a legacy of environmental health for generations to come.

The people of Milton and the people of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex sent a clear message on May 2—a very clear message. They rejected the queen of the carbon tax, Bonnie Crombie, and the carbon tax she supports. They, and everyone else in Ontario, want to see our government continue to stand up for them, to fight for affordability and oppose the Liberal carbon tax.

Can the minister please explain how our government is keeping costs down for hard-working families in Ontario without imposing a costly tax?

My question is to the Premier.

Over a month ago, I brought forward Bill 173, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act. The government sent it to committee instead of making the declaration immediately. They have yet to call it at committee, pass it, enact it or declare IPV is an epidemic.

The 2022 Renfrew county coroner’s inquest report had 86 actionable recommendations, 75 of which were for this Conservative government to implement. The very first one: Declare IPV an epidemic in Ontario.

More women continue to be killed in this province due to this government’s inaction.

Survivors, victims, their families, communities, municipalities, advocates, experts are all wondering: Will the Premier declare today gender-based violence and IPV to be the epidemic that it clearly is?

If you really wanted to take action, you would declare intimate partner violence an epidemic today and implement the 75 recommendations from the Renfrew county coroner’s inquest.

The Conservatives claim they won’t declare intimate partner violence an epidemic until they have actionable measures, and yet for nearly two years they’ve had 75 recommendations from an inquest into the deaths of three women in Ontario. Nearly 100 municipalities have made the declaration. And I have a letter that was sent to the government House leader and other government members from the warden of Lanark county imploring the government to pass my bill and declare IPV an epidemic before the House rises in a few short days.

Last week, Shannan Hickey, a 26-year-old nurse from Belleville, was killed by her partner.

Will you make the declaration—

Again, it is the subcommittee and it is the committee which will decide the fate of that study, and I trust that they will do their job very well.

I need no lessons from the member opposite on respecting the rights of victims of crime in this province—and to suggest anything else is beneath the dignity of that member. I have two daughters of my own. Do you not think I want them to be made safe, Speaker?

Interjections.

Interjections.

If the NDP are that afraid to work over the summer, to try to do something effective here, to bring forward legislation that will make a difference in the lives of the people of the province of Ontario, like our human trafficking work has made a difference in the lives of people not only in Ontario but across the country, I feel sorry for them.

Interjection.

Interjection.

I appreciate that. Thank you.

Question?

Interjection.

To the member for Kanata–Carleton.

Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health: Today, thousands of concerned citizens are outside Queen’s Park protesting this government’s disastrous health care policies and privatization scheme. Among these citizens are residents of Port Colborne and Fort Erie, who have now gone 330 days without after-hours services at their local urgent care centres.

Nearly 10,000 residents in Port Colborne alone are without a family doctor, and many are forced to rely on their local urgent care centre.

Through you, Speaker: When will this minister finally listen to the citizens of Niagara and step in to restore full urgent care services in south Niagara?

My question is for the Minister of Long-term Care.

The federal government’s unfair, regressive carbon tax is forcing Ontarians to pay more for everything, from their groceries to home heating and gas.

Speaker, families in my riding of Richmond Hill are concerned about the impact the costly tax will have on their loved ones.

I have heard from long-term-care operators in our province who say that the Liberal carbon tax is driving up the cost of building. As our aging population continues to grow, it is vital that our long-term-care capacity grows alongside it.

Ontarians want an end to this tax, and the federal Liberals need to do the right thing and scrap it immediately.

Speaker, can the minister please tell the House what our government is doing to build more long-term-care homes in Ontario?

Unlike the NDP and Liberal members of this Legislature, our government understands the challenges Ontarians are facing. That’s why we have been asking the federal government to scrap the carbon tax since day one. But the opposition continues to turn a blind eye. They would rather support a costly carbon tax that does nothing besides punishing families, businesses and workers. Despite their inaction, our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is getting it done for Ontarians.

Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant elaborate on the work our government has been doing to ensure that our seniors receive the care they need and enjoy the high quality of life that they deserve?

To the member opposite, who I believe is on the record for supporting a carbon tax and thinking that’s great for the people of Ontario—well, that gives us a sense of where you’re coming from.

But let’s go back. We ran, in 2022, on a key promise to deliver convenience and competition to the people of Ontario. The people of Ontario spoke. They want competition. They want convenience. They’re sick and tired of the Liberal deal that they put into place—a 10-year monopoly deal which gave higher prices and a monopoly to large, foreign-owned companies.

We, on the other hand, care about small businesses. We care about the people of Ontario.

Some 7,500 jobs are going to be created by our change here in Ontario that we’re putting forward—good-paying jobs for the people of Ontario. Our GDP is going to grow by an estimated $200 million. New investments in infrastructure, in cooling systems for various companies are going to expand. And most important, it’s going to give—

But let’s get back to what the member was asking about, with respect to the liberalization that we are bringing in.

The previous Liberal government signed a multitude of bad deals. I know the Minister of Energy could certainly point to the Green Energy Act, which was probably one of the worst bills ever signed in the people of Ontario’s history—but also the Master Framework Agreement, a 10-year deal which gave high prices, high taxes and high profits to foreign corporations.

We are acting on the promise that we ran on in 2022, which is to give liberalization to this, stop the old agreement—a 97-year monopoly—bring convenience and competition to the people of Ontario, and bring back economic growth. This is what the people of Ontario want, and we’re delivering.

I thank the member for Richmond Hill for her question and also for being such a strong advocate for seniors not only in her riding but across the province of Ontario.

Madam Speaker, the member is absolutely correct; as the minister and I travel across the province, what we hear from operators is that the carbon tax is increasing the tax of absolutely everything, including construction of new homes. That is why, in our recent budget, in 2024, our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, stepped up to the plate and invested $155 million to the construction fund subsidy. We talked to the industry and heard them loud and clear. However, the Liberals—surprise, surprise—voted against this increase in funding to make sure seniors can receive the care they need. Instead of supporting our government’s plan to build Ontario, they continue to support this cost-hiking carbon tax.

Speaker, I stand with the Premier, and I stand with the minster, who is making life easier for Ontarians, especially our seniors.

Contrast this with Carbon Crombie’s record of failure as the mayor, where she failed to build almost any housing—Mississauga is one of the only jurisdictions in Ontario that actually lowered, under her leadership. She didn’t build then, and she isn’t building now. We just can’t afford her.

Once more, I ask Carbon Crombie and her high-cost Liberal caucus to join us and call on their federal Liberal cousins to finally give people a much-needed break and scrap this tax.

Speaker, inexplicably this government doubled down, saying that the retention and—

Interjection.

Inexplicably, this government doubled down, saying that the retention and recruitment of doctors is not a major concern. Excuse me? Some 2.3 million Ontarians don’t have a family doctor, yet nothing is happening because we are told the cupboards are bare.

It is true that this year’s budget forecast a $10-billion deficit, and it is also true that in the past six years this government has added $86 billion to Ontario’s debt. So the money is being spent somewhere; just not in health care.

Speaker, I want to ask the Premier how he could possibly think that spending $1 billion to expedite beer and alcohol sales should be his priority instead of solving the family doctor crisis.

Speaker, I want to ask the Premier once again: How could he possibly think that the priority of this government should be renegotiating beer contracts instead of investing in the solutions that Ontarians urgently need?