I think that the member opposite really spoke very eloquently about the benefits of the people of Ontario getting out and enjoying some of the incredible sights and attractions that this province has to offer.

We know that unlike the federal government, our government is not penalizing those who want to have a summer vacation or who want to spend a few days on the road. We’re actually encouraging that. We’re encouraging those people who have the opportunity to get out and visit small towns, spend a few bucks on a nice meal, take their family out for a visit to the beach, and maybe visit one of the sights, sounds and small businesses that make up this beautiful province.

So what we’ve done is taken a different approach. We’ve actually cut the gas tax. We’ve cut licence plate sticker fees, because we know that the majority of the people of this province are drivers and we want to encourage them to be able to enjoy every single corner of this province. And it’s not only that; it’s the millions of dollars that we’ve devoted to the Experience Ontario program, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, our Sport Hosting Program. In so many ways, we are ensuring that the people of this province have the opportunity to enjoy every square inch of this beautiful province, and we’ll—

Thank you very much.

Supplementary question?

I just wanted to express congratulations for Mark Stoddart, who is not only a friend of our Ontario Poet Laureate, but was also a recipient, if I’m not mistaken, this year of the Scarborough Walk of Fame award.

On behalf of the Tibetan Women’s Association of Ontario, I’d like to invite all members to a lunch reception in rooms 228 and 230 starting now.

I’m just inviting everybody who would like to listen or talk to paramedics, they are in room 351 from 1 till 3 this afternoon. Everyone is welcome.

I thank my colleague for the question.

As I’ve said it many times here in this House, the FAO opinions are not representative of actual government spending, as the FAO uses different methodology. I’d be more than happy to share some facts and some numbers with my colleagues across. The funding for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services increased by $600 million this year. Last year, the funding for this ministry increased by $900 million. The year before that, the funding for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services increased by $1.2 billion. So, I’d be more than happy to share some facts.

My honourable colleagues talk about developmental services. Mr. Speaker, it’s this government that is providing more than $1 billion for developmental services across the system, something the previous government didn’t do, that the NDP supported along the way.

When we say we’re not going to leave anyone behind—

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to funding, the member struggles and the opposition struggles with often—

Interjection.

We doubled the funding of the Ontario Autism Program. We added another $60 million to the program. This year, Mr. Speaker, we added $120 million to the $600 million, bringing our total to $720 million. What does that mean, Mr. Speaker? Instead of the 8,500 families who were receiving services and supports before, now more than 40,000 families are receiving supports and services—

My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

The Financial Accountability Office released a report this morning which projects the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has allocated $3.7 billion less than what was needed in program spending from 2024 to 2026-27. The ministry is responsible for everything from funding developmental services, child protection, Ontario Works, ODSP payments, the autism funding and much more—all of the programs which are required to serve and support vulnerable Ontarians.

Can the minister explain why there is a $3.7-billion shortfall?

Speaker, $3.7 billion is a huge shortfall for programs that literally keep some of Ontario’s most vulnerable populations alive. The FAO projects that $120 million announced this year in autism funding is one-time funding and that that budget will continue to be $600 million year over year. That would only be enough to enrol 10,000 kids in core clinical services, not even close to the 20,000 that the minister’s binder suggests.

With 60,000 and growing waiting for autism services, does the minister think that this is going to be enough?

Yes, Speaker, a point of order: I’d like to correct my record. In my question on Monday, I inadvertently said that the government had increased the provincial debt by $100 million. I meant to say $100 billion, which is historic, but not in a good way.

I appreciate the time to say a few words.

MPP Hazell moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 209, An Act to proclaim the month of April as Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice Month / Projet de loi 209, Loi proclamant le mois d’avril Mois de la justice reproductive et de la santé maternelle chez les personnes noires.

Here’s the thing, Mr. Speaker: It’s summertime. I know I can’t wait to get back to Lake of the Woods. But with over 500 seasonal lodges, outfitting camps and campgrounds, of which I know there are quite a few in the member’s—as he likes to say—God’s country, Peterborough–Kawartha, families are going to make some tough choices. I was talking to one of my neighbours the other day, and I said, “Now, where are you going to take that big trailer this year?” Every summer, he just kind of spins the campground wheel and takes his family somewhere in another part of northern Ontario.

He said this year—do you know where he’s going, colleagues, through you, Mr. Speaker? Camp Backyard. Yes, it’s a campground in his backyard. He’s just going to open the trailer there because he can’t afford to hitch that thing up to his pickup truck and go and spend some money in another part of northern Ontario.

Clearly, outfitters, lodge owners, campground owners and families in the thousands who just want to explore our vast and beautiful region are saying one thing: Scrap the tax.

All I can tell you is that the carbon tax royalty is beginning to abdicate their throne, except for one exception: The queen of the carbon tax chooses to be a buttinsky. Not only is she interested in keeping the carbon tax alive, she has a history of raising other taxes.

Listen to the voice of seven out of 10 Canadians and the Parliamentary Budget Officer, if no one else, and scrap this tax.

The ayes are 68; the nays are 39.

I withdraw.

Deferred vote on the motion that the question now be put on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 185, An Act to amend various Acts / Projet de loi 185, Loi modifiant diverses lois.

Thanks very much, Speaker, to the member from Oakville. Always good to hear from him.

Our housing crisis is only made worse because of the federal carbon tax—and this government has delivered to offset it. We delivered $1 billion in the last provincial budget to enable housing. We delivered $1.2 billion in the Building Faster Fund and are seeing tangible results. We delivered the elimination of the HST on purpose-built rentals. And we delivered unprecedented reductions in red tape to make shovels in the ground happen faster.

Speaker, we are supporting community home builders—unlike the carbon tax coalition opposite, led by Bonnie Crombie. They are not supporting community home builders and frankly, Speaker, they are taxing the dream of home ownership out of the reach of all Canadians.

The cost of living is hurting all Ontarians and hurting Canadians. If the federal government really wants to help Ontarians, I think the carbon tax coalition next door should understand that the carbon tax in this province is wrong, and most importantly, Bonnie Crombie and the coalition is wrong on housing, wrong on the carbon tax and, frankly, wrong for all Ontarians.

Thank you to the associate minister for that response. Young families should not have to struggle to pay for a down payment. Seniors on fixed incomes should not have to worry about being displaced. Everyone in Ontario deserves to have a place to live that meets their needs and their budget, and the Liberals are making it more and more unaffordable by supporting that carbon tax. It is essential for all governments to provide real solutions in addressing the housing and affordability crisis. Unfortunately, our government is fighting this battle alone.

Can the associate minister please explain why the Liberals and NDP must join us in calling for an end to the carbon tax and making housing more affordable again?

The bill proclaims the month of April in each year as Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice Month.

Mr. Speaker, Black mothers face worse maternal health outcomes than mothers in other groups. Black women are approximately three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than a white woman. This is not only a policy failure but a moral failure.

Proclaiming April as Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice Month raises awareness of the challenges faced by Black women in accessing adequate maternal health care. These challenges include lack of data collection on health risks, instances of medical racism and the absence of tailored support for Black women. By acknowledging these unique challenges, the well-being of Black mothers becomes a focus of our health care system, taking the first step in ensuring we move towards better protecting Black mothers in Ontario.

I move that the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be authorized to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures in Louisville, Kentucky, from August 4 to August 7, 2024.

The supplementary question.

Supplementary question?

The next question.

I’m going to ask the Minister of Health to withdraw an unparliamentary comment that was made earlier during question period.

The division bells rang from 1201 to 1206.

On June 3, 2024, Mr. Calandra moved third reading of Bill 185, An Act to amend various Acts.

On June 4, 2024, Ms. Khanjin moved that the question be now put.

All those in favour of Ms. Khanjin’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Mr. Calandra has moved third reading of Bill 185, An Act to amend various Acts. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard some noes.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

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

The division bells rang from 1210 to 1211.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

Deferred vote on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 192, An Act to amend the Health Protection and Promotion Act with respect to maximum patient-to-nurse ratios / Projet de loi 192, Loi modifiant la Loi sur la protection et la promotion de la santé en ce qui concerne les ratios patients-personnel infirmier maximaux.

The division bells rang from 1215 to 1216.

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

Second reading negatived.

The member for Parkdale–High Park.

The House recessed from 1220 to 1300.

Mr. Burch moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 207, An Act to amend the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 with respect to conduct of councillors and members of local boards / Projet de loi 207, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2001 sur les municipalités et la Loi de 2006 sur la cité de Toronto en ce qui concerne la conduite des conseillers et des membres des conseils locaux.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

The Municipal Accountability and Integrity Act, 2024, if passed, will ensure that municipally elected officials who perpetrate violence, harassment and predatory behaviour are finally held accountable and are no longer able to evade justice through long-standing loopholes.

Among other things, it will establish a common framework for codes of conduct across Ontario; it will require the minister to establish a board of integrity commissioners under the commissioner of Ontario and establish standards for selection and training; and it will allow the commissioner to make an application for judicial review to vacate a member’s seat in the case of egregious contraventions of the code of conduct.

Mr. Fraser moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 208, An Act respecting the safe access to religious institutions / Projet de loi 208, Loi concernant l’accès sécuritaire aux établissements religieux.

This petition was delivered to me by Sally Palmer, who is the chair of the Hamilton Social Work Action Committee. It calls out the failure of the ODSP and OW rates and calls for these rates to be doubled in the province of Ontario so that we do not have legislated poverty in this province.

The agricultural sector contributes $48 billion in economic development to the province of Ontario.

In Waterloo region, 770 acres of prime farmland are being designated for a large industrial site. The people of Wilmot have delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures—and I want to thank them for that—calling on the provincial government to slow down the demise of our farmland in Ontario, and also calling on the regional government to not move forward with the forced expropriation of this prime agricultural land.

I fully support the people of Wilmot and Waterloo region and, in doing so, will affix my signature and give it to page Hosanna.

Some 4,500 people die from suicide in Canada each day. These are preventable deaths, if the resources are there. So this petition is calling on the government to recognize the state of crisis in mental health in Ontario.

It is my pleasure to honour Kaitlyn’s memory, support her family, affix my signature and continue to call on the government for greater mental health resources.

This petition is entitled “Endometriosis Awareness Action.” It’s got hundreds of signatures, and it’s calling for this government to recognize endometriosis as a disease that impacts women, especially BIPOC women. It is currently under-researched and underfunded.

Some 2.4 million Ontarians do not have access to family doctors, and because of this, many women struggling with endometriosis are not able to access health care here in Ontario. Some have to travel to different countries and go broke paying out of pocket for care.

This petition is demanding a response from the government to help survivors—endowarriors, people with endometriosis—to get the health care they deserve and be able to see specialists in Ontario now.

I absolutely support this petition. I’m affixing my signature and handing it over to Ishan.

As I was saying, we cannot police ourselves out of violence, and that includes our schools. So I’m going to affix my signature on this petition that’s calling for us to make more investments in teachers, education workers and mental health supports for our kids instead of militarizing our schools. They are calling for a removal of police-in-school programs across Ontario.

I absolutely support this petition. I am affixing my signature, and I will hand it over to Farhan for tabling.