Thanks to our amazing member from Milton. It’s great to be able to take on this question, especially in the moments after the last question from the Liberal member over there.

Now, I know a leopard can’t change their spots and neither can a Liberal. The Liberals love to tax. Bonnie Crombie, the queen of the carbon tax, is happy to support Justin Trudeau’s federal carbon tax, which is driving up the price for everyone and every business in Ontario. Anybody who gets anything trucked to them is paying more because of Justin Trudeau and Bonnie Crombie’s carbon tax.

We’re not in favour of a carbon tax. We’ve lowered taxes. We’ve lowered fees. We’ve cut red tape. As a result, our economy is thriving with multi-billion-dollar investments from Windsor to Umicore in Loyalist township and into the north. And we’re not done yet.

Well, Mr. Speaker, let’s start off with the CFIB and their quote about the alcohol: “Speeding up the process to allow more Ontario small retailers to sell beer and wine is a very positive move for entrepreneurs and consumers.” It’s so positive for the economy that small craft brewers are going to see an increase of $800 million to $1.2 billion more. This is creating over 7,500 new jobs that didn’t exist before—compared to the Liberals, who signed the worst contract I’ve ever seen in business in my entire life.

It’s all about taxation when it comes to their leader, Bonnie Crombie. That’s all they believe in, is taxing. We don’t believe in taxing. We have never increased a tax in six years. We’ve decreased taxes. We’ve given money back to the people. We’ve given over—

Interjections.

The government has been very busy over the last week defending their latest blunder: the billion-dollar booze boondoggle paid for by Ontario taxpayers. They could have waited for about a year for the deal with the Beer Store to end. Instead, they keep the gravy train chugging along by wasting taxpayer dollars to cancel the deal today.

While small businesses struggle, this government gives money out hand over fist to big-box stores and—

Interjections.

Interjections.

My question to the Premier: Will he help fix his broken promise today by passing Bill 195, the Cutting Taxes on Small Businesses Act?

Small business owners need help from this government. The CFIB wants Bill 195 passed. The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario wants Bill 195 passed.

The CFIB has said that for every dollar spent at a local small business, 66 cents stays local, versus with multinationals, like some of those benefiting from the billion-dollar booze boondoggle, only 11 cents stays in Ontario.

Bill 195 is not complicated. It cuts the effective tax rate on small businesses in half, from 3.2% to 1.6%, and increases the income threshold for this deduction from $500,000 to $600,000. It will reduce taxes on small business by up to $17,900 a year. It will help them.

Through you, Speaker, to the Premier: What will it be, yes or no, to helping Ontario small businesses by passing Bill 195?

There has been no other Premier in the history of this province that has been committed to more Ontario jobs than this Premier—over 700,000 more people are working today because of Premier Ford and this government’s policy, including building transit across this province.

That member knows how many of those investments are supporting communities all across the north and all across this province—thousands of workers employed because of this government’s plan to build transit all across this province. It’s because of this Premier that we’re building in the north, whether it be the Ring of Fire, Highways 11 and 17, supporting transit workers in Thunder Bay. It’s because of this Premier that we have over $40 billion worth of new foreign direct investment into this province, and because of this vision of this government, $70 billion are being invested into public transit to help support—

I did not hear an answer that responded to the Terrace Bay situation, but I’ll continue.

Speaker, this government is failing to use all the tools at its disposal to keep people working at the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay. American manufacturing contracts must have at least 70% American content, yet you lowered local content rules to a mere 10% and gave the Ontario Line to a Japanese corporation—$9 billion paid by Ontario taxpayers, with not one of the trains built in Ontario.

We have the expertise, facilities, skilled workforce and supply chain. What we’re missing is a commitment from this government to keep people in northwestern Ontario working.

Premier, will you commit to the maximum possible local content in all future contracts?

The parliamentary assistant and member for Ajax.

The next question.

The House will come to order.

Interjections.

Start the clock. Member for Don Valley West.

I cannot hear the member for Don Valley West. Okay. The warnings are starting next time.

Interjection.

Start the clock. The member for Don Valley West has the floor.

The Premier will take his seat. The members will please take their seats.

The member for Ottawa South is warned. The member for Hamilton Mountain is warned. The member for Brampton North is warned.

Start the clock. The next question.

Mr. Speaker, our government is the first government to have in place a minister responsible for mental health and addictions, because we take opioids and all addictions very seriously. Our government is the first government to make investments of $525 million annually and $3.8 billion over 10 years, and to build a system of care.

If you listen and look at the Roadmap to Wellness, you’ll see that there’s a continuum of care that’s being built throughout the province of Ontario to ensure that people are able to access services where and when they need them. That means giving them treatment, low-barrier access to withdrawal management, accessing those services through mobile crisis response teams, through paramedicine that is now being incorporated into that continuum of care and giving people, after withdrawal management, the opportunity to get into treatment and with that treatment then reintegrate with social supportive housing.

We are building a system of care and ensuring that everyone is getting the treatment when and where they need it.

Even a single death is one death too many, and I take those deaths very, very seriously and make sure that we do build these continuums. We’ve invested in opening over 400 beds. That’s 7,000 treatment spots that didn’t exist before this government came to power, and we’re going to continue building a system of care and meeting people where they are.

But we’re not only looking after the individuals who we know are in greatest need in marginalized communities, with investments in the Black community, in Indigenous communities, in remote communities, in rural communities; we’re building mobile health units that are moving around the province, as well, to assist wherever we can in meeting people and giving them the supports they need, regardless of—

My question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care. All seniors in Ontario deserve to be treated with dignity and to receive the quality of care they need. The previous Liberal government failed to invest in long-term-care facilities and services. This led to unnecessary hospitalizations and, in some cases, forced seniors to move to a long-term-care home outside their community. Now, the provincial Liberals are supporting a tax that is burdening existing long-term-care homes with higher costs of operation while making it more expensive to build new homes.

Our government remains focused on helping seniors get the right care in the right place. We’re building more homes faster, and we won’t stop calling on the federal Liberals to scrap the punitive carbon tax. Can the minister please tell the House how our government is improving long-term care for seniors despite facing challenges from the Liberal carbon tax?

At a time when families are already struggling to make ends meet, it’s unfair and unjust for the liberals to keep hiking the carbon tax, just like they did on April 1. Unlike the Liberals, our government will continue to speak up for Ontarians, continue to fight for our seniors and continue to deliver real affordability. Can the minister tell the House what our government is doing to combat the negative effects the carbon tax has on our long-term-care sector?

Thank you to the minister for his response. Our government knows that we can build a growing economy, produce clean energy and make the transition to Ontario-built EVs without jeopardizing affordability for people in this province.

Unfortunately, the federal government is unwilling to listen to provincial leaders and Canadians on this topic. Speaker, when Bonnie Crombie was a federal leader, she was one of the first to support the carbon tax. Now, as the Ontario Liberal leader, she continues to side with her federal buddies on this punitive and regressive carbon tax.

The last thing people need right now is another expense on their bills. Ontarians cannot afford the carbon tax, and they cannot afford the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie. Can the minister please explain how the Liberal taxes are killing businesses and draining Ontario families’ household budgets?

The supplementary question.

The next question.

The next question.

My question is to the Premier. In Toronto, 523 people died from opioid overdoses. Toronto’s public health officer, Dr. Eileen de Villa, had this to say: Overdose is “more than a public health issue—it’s a human tragedy that” requires a response filled “with empathy, care and compassion.” Experts are calling on this government to take an effective and evidence-based approach to addressing the opioid crisis, an approach that includes harm reduction, overdose prevention, along with housing, health care and mental health supports.

My question is to the Premier: How many more people have to die before this government properly addresses our opioid crisis?

This is my question: When will this government take meaningful action to stop people needlessly dying?

Thanks to the amazing member from Burlington. I’ve got to—

Interjections.

But, Speaker, I’ve got to say very honestly, I absolutely hate talking about the carbon tax, and I’ll tell you why—

Interjections.

When will the Liberals finally do the right thing, stand up to Bonnie Crombie, stand up to Justin Trudeau and say, “Get rid of this tax. It’s costing our seniors in Ontario”?

Ma question est pour le ministre des Soins de longue durée. Aux élections de 2022, vous avez dit que Kapuskasing recevrait 60 nouveaux lits de soins de longues durées pour 2025. Ils ne sont pas construits.

J’ai parlé à Extendicare et je vous ai écrit deux lettres. Cette compagnie privée ne voit pas cette construction comme priorité et dit qu’elle ne va pas construire, malgré les subventions du gouvernement. On parle maintenant de deux ans d’attente pour des lits de soins de longue durée.

Monsieur le Ministre, allez-vous construire les 68 lits de longue durée à Kapuskasing, tel que promis?

Votre gouvernement a promis 33 000 nouveaux lits de longue durée d’ici 2025.

Monsieur le Ministre, allez-vous retirer le contrat à Extendicare et le donner à des partenaires qui ont la volonté de construire? Nos citoyens méritent mieux.

Mr. Speaker, we’re doing a lot, and we were doing a lot before the pandemic hit. We were doing that after the carbon tax was tripled—and keeps going up. And what are we talking about? Well, in the latest budget, what did we do? We introduced another $155 million for a construction funding subsidy to offset those increased costs. But we also did more. We increased, to the highest level ever—$353 million, for a 6.6% increase to operational costs. Why, Speaker? Because long-term-care homes are paying more for everything: to transport food to the homes, to transport seniors, to transport food itself, to transport equipment itself. But we went further: a one-time, $202 million in funding, $2,543 per space, in every single one of these members’ ridings, to offset those increased costs, the pressures associated with the carbon tax. I wish we didn’t have to do that, because that could go to better outcomes for seniors.

Stand with us. Stand with our seniors—

Interjections.

This government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, came along in 2018 and said we’re changing that: $10 billion, the biggest capital expansion ever into long-term care; 58,000 new and upgraded spaces; until this point, 18,200 homes built or with shovels in the ground—and more to follow.

Now, the speaker asked about the 68 allocated to Kapuskasing. Our message to Extendicare is very clear: You have an allocation. We expect you to get shovels in the ground. We are here to help support that. As I said, we will be reaching out to the company as well to make sure that that is followed through on.

But I appreciate that the member understands the similar problem that we face across this province. Seniors took care of us; it is our turn to take care of them. Let’s build these homes.

What supports are we talking about, Speaker? In the latest budget passed by our fine finance minister just a few short months ago, there was $155 million for construction funding subsidy in those tough and expensive-to-build areas. But we went further, Speaker: 6.6% increase to level-of-care funding. That’s operational support for things like staffing, for food for residents. We went even further: $200-million one-time funding for deferred maintenance, for capital costs. All of these supports are meant to make it easier to get shovels in the ground.

We understand the pandemic presented challenges. We understand the neglect by the Liberals presented challenges to long-term care. We are going to get over those hurdles, and my message to Extendicare once again is clear: Get shovels in the ground. Let’s get these built in Kapuskasing. In fact, let’s get this built all over our great province. We owe it to our seniors.

I’m happy to look into the individual case. But I will say that Ontario has led Canadian provinces and territories. When Health Canada receives and gives approval for new drugs and new therapies, when it goes through the pCPA pricing process, and when there is an assessment on when the drugs are appropriately used in the population, Ontario actually leads Canada in getting it on the drug formulary and making sure that we have access here in Ontario.

The member opposite is inserting herself and her party into clinical decisions that should best be left to clinicians and to hospital leadership, and I will continue to let them lead.

I want to thank the member for the question and for the great work he’s doing in Scarborough–Agincourt.

Mr. Speaker, last week I had the privilege of going down to Windsor and meeting with fire chief Stephen Laforet. I spoke with him on the amazing work he’s doing, and I want to congratulate the member from Windsor–Tecumseh for representing his community with a concern for public safety.

It is absolutely undeniable: Bonnie Crombie, as mayor of Mississauga, saw the fire department bill for carbon tax as part of the fire department budget for Mississauga fire. And you know what? She approved it. She approved it with the line for carbon tax.

She was wrong for Mississauga, she was wrong for not saying she knew what was going on with the bill for carbon tax and she’s wrong for Ontario.

My question is for the Solicitor General. It is clear to everyone but the federal government and their provincial buddies that the Liberal carbon tax is hurting Ontario’s economy. As the Liberals impose one tax hike after another, it is costing more for a police cruiser, fire truck or an ambulance to fill up their tank.

Speaker, individuals and families across Ontario rely on police and firefighters to keep their communities safe. It’s imperative our first responders have the resources they need to do their job. The carbon tax is impacting the very institutions that provide essential services for Ontarians. We need the federal Liberals to listen and remove this tax.

Speaker, can the Solicitor General please tell the House how our government is ensuring Ontario’s safety by fighting against the carbon tax?

Stop the clock.

I am standing, I’ll say to the minister, and I’ll ask the members again to make their comments through the Chair, not across the floor of the House like that.

Start the clock. Next question.

My question today is for the Minister of Health. Today, I’m asking for support for a constituent of mine, Noor Ayesha. Noor has a rare form of cancer, and her doctors have told her it can only be treated by a drug named Pemazyre. The drug is approved by Health Canada; Quebec and other provinces are close to funding the drug; and it is the standard of care in the United States, United Kingdom and China, yet not covered here.

Noor’s family applied for funding under the CBCRP program but were denied. Having access to this treatment could mean more time for Noor to spend with her 18-month-old daughter.

So my question for the minister: With Noor’s doctors and experts asking for approval, why are Noor and others with this rare cancer being denied access to this life-saving drug?

Again to the Minister of Health: While some drugs save lives, there are others that have no place in our ORs. For example, desflurane, also known as des, is an anaesthetic gas that is being banned in jurisdictions across the world and in Canada because of its negative environmental impact and the availability of more cost-effective alternatives. Several hospitals in Ontario have banned this gas. Health Sciences North in Sudbury saved $250,000 last year, and Trillium Health in Mississauga saved $125,000 last year, all while slashing emissions.

My question for the Minister of Health: Will you take an important step today, ban desflurane and save hospitals thousands of dollars, cut emissions while also ensuring good patient outcomes?