No more HVAC scams. Thankfully, it really prompted the government to move on that. White-collar crime in Ontario is out of control.

It’s astounding to see the Premier of this province stand up in this House and pretend that he has a little gun in his hand and say everybody is getting shot up. It’s not a comical situation at all.

The court system is so underfunded. In fact, in that last cycle—I think it was Q3—there was a reduction of 2% in the judicial system.

So when you meet with the Ontario trial lawyers and you talk about the characterization of judges, including this very strange civics lesson that we got from the Attorney General about judges becoming impartial when they’re appointed—this is language that is really straying into a very dark space.

This morning, when we were talking about this, I have to say, one of the delegations said to me it’s so dangerous that—and this is the quote: “In order for justice to be done, it can’t just be done; it needs to be seen to be done.”

The confidence in our judicial system is so compromised right now, because people are waiting so long for their day in court. And it’s an overused quote, but justice delayed is justice denied; it truly is.

I’m working with a young woman in my riding right now who waited two years for her day in court, and those two years were the most painful days of her young life.

The system that the Attorney General describes as top-of-the-class, first-class—there’s a serious disconnect between that language. But the fact that now the Minister of Energy is also using this callout for like-minded people, chairs of committees—this morning we heard about an appointment to the LTB, about people who will do the government’s bidding. This takes away from those first comments that I started with about the duty to serve the public.

There should be a very open and transparent judicial appointment process. It is key to having confidence in the judicial system, and right now, the comments by the Premier about having like-minded judges, and now the comments about the Minister of Energy finding someone who will fall in line with the government’s directives, is language I actually haven’t seen a lot in this place. I’ve seen a lot of things, and sometimes I’m surprised, but more and more, I’m not that surprised.

The Ontario Energy Board—there has been lots of criticism about this, as well. And this is about people’s pockets, so let’s say what’s really going on here. This is what the Minister of Energy has said: that if the do-overs return the same result, the minister wouldn’t rule out intervening again to ensure the province gets what it wants. “It’s incumbent on the Ontario Energy Board to realize what our policy is as the government [goes] forward.”

This is a key piece, because the OEB has the public interest at heart. It’s actually their mandate, Madam Speaker, and when the politicians interfere in that process, that undermines confidence in the energy sector as a whole, I would argue. If the government even hints at appointing a Ford-connected insider who’s not going to act in the best interests of the people of Ontario, but instead acts in the interests of a multi-billion-dollar fossil fuel company, then we have a serious problem in Ontario.

That’s what this legislation that the minister brought forward is all about. At the end of the day—and this is the key piece—who is it going to cost? It’s going to cost ratepayers in Ontario more, because the OEB is being overturned, because of political interference to the tune of I think it’s almost $600.

This is Kent Elson, who’s a lawyer representing the non-profit Environmental Defence, which intervened in Enbridge’s rate application. He told Canada’s National Observer that this “government’s decision to name its legislation the Keeping Energy Costs Down Act is ‘Orwellian.’

“‘It should be called the Keeping Enbridge Profits and Energy Bills High Act,’ he said.

“‘The OEB decision would have cut capital costs covered by gas customers by approximately $600 per customer,’ he said. ‘Reversing the decision will certainly raise energy bills.’”

Why is this government raising the energy costs of Ontarians? They’re already hurting so much.

And so if you care about housing starts, if you care about the environment, if you care about being fiscally responsible, avoiding fitting a house with gas infrastructure and connecting it to the gas grid by switching to electric heat or cooling means only one system. Actually, we heard this at pre-budget consultation: Moving away from this government’s plan would actually increase the supply of affordable housing, because it reduces that infrastructure pressure.

At the end of the day, this government now is actively creating legislation that’s going to increase your gas bill. It makes no sense whatsoever. We fought it. Our energy critic spoke eloquently about it, and at the end of the day, what’s concerning for us is that this is all too similar to the greenbelt scandal. The government is legislating against the public good in the service of a few private interests, namely Enbridge and housing developers.

How did we get to this place in this province? Honestly—amidst an acknowledgement by every member of provincial Parliament in this House that the housing crisis is real. It is hurting our economy, it is hurting our families and our communities, and it’s having a devastating effect on the quality of life. So why bring in legislation which hurts Ontarians? This is the genuine question that I have.

This legislation also sets a dangerous precedent. This is the first time any government of Ontario has brought through legislation and overruled a decision by the independent Ontario Energy Board. Please remember: The Ontario Energy Board’s mandate is to keep energy costs down. And that’s the problem. That’s the problem when a government interferes and intervenes and actively works against the people that we’re elected to serve.

I have to say, I’m very discouraged by this move, because not only is it going to negatively impact the housing sector, but it’s going to also impact people’s pockets. It’s just really interesting, because Enbridge is going to be fine. Enbridge makes a lot of money; in fact, I think last year, their net profits were $19.1 billion. So don’t worry about Enbridge. Enbridge is going to be okay.