My question is for the Associate Minister of Transportation. The success of the agri-food sector across all of northern Ontario depends on solid transportation links. Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government ignored the economic importance of the agricultural sector in the north and failed to invest in northern Ontario’s transportation network.

Communities across the north count on transportation systems that make life easier for people and for our businesses. Strong transportation networks are vital for moving goods and to enable economic prosperity and future sustainability for our northern communities. Speaker, can the associate minister please explain what actions our government is taking to strengthen transportation links for moving goods across our great province?

A strong transportation network also means building and maintaining infrastructure that enables hard-working Ontarians to get across our province by car or transit. That is why it is so vital that our government continues to ensure that investments are being made in northern highways and transit services. I’m very happy and grateful to the Associate Minister and Minister of Transportation for all the support our community of Sault Ste. Marie has received in Connecting Links funding.

Efficient and convenient transportation networks help to drive economic prosperity and improve the overall quality of life for residents in northern communities. Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government is building strong transportation networks across the north?

My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. There is so much to enjoy and discover in our communities across all of northern Ontario, Speaker. Unfortunately, the previous government, propped up by the NDP, failed to recognize the north for the importance of its vast resources as well as the ways in which northern communities contribute to our economic and cultural well-being here in Ontario. In short, they ignored opportunities to build infrastructure, to create jobs and to show the north the respect that it deserved.

This week, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada held their annual conference here in Toronto. This mineral exploration and mining convention draws large attendance from across the sector for the purposes of information-sharing and networking. Speaker, can the minister please provide information about how our government is partnering with and supporting northern Ontario businesses as part of this conference and all the opportunities that will stem from that?

While mineral exploration and mining are a key focus when it comes to opportunities in northern Ontario, our government must continue to ensure that our communities remain strong. Our northern communities deserve support in order to build the capacity that is needed to deal with the growth that comes from new and emerging mineral extractions. Speaker, can the minister please explain how the prospectors and developers association convention was an opportunity to better showcase the central role and importance of northern Ontario?