I appreciate the member from Chatham-Kent–Leamington for his important question. Small businesses in rural Ontario play a vital role as a source of employment within their communities. These businesses provide valuable job opportunities, helping to stimulate economic growth and support the livelihoods of individuals and families.

Rural entrepreneurs face unique challenges already, and having the carbon tax drive up the price of obtaining and delivering goods only compounds the issues they already have. That’s why our government has been tirelessly working to alleviate the financial burden imposed on small businesses even as the federal government persists in escalating the carbon tax year after year after year. Unlike the Liberals and the NDP, we won’t be silent as the federal government punishes our farmers, our workers, our businesses and our families.

Speaker, this Premier, this caucus have been clear from day one. We call on the federal government to do what’s right for our businesses, our economy, our families: scrap the carbon tax now.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My point of order: I want to wish a friend of mine, and I do consider her a friend, Cynthia Mulligan from CityNews, a happy birthday. And Colin D’Mello’s birthday was yesterday. Mine was the day before. Now I know why they’re so tough on me, because we’re all Scorpios. Anyways, I want to wish her all the very best.

My question is for the Premier. A while ago, I came across a young man sleeping on the street. He needed medical attention because of a mental health issue, and also because he’d been beaten up. He had a broken cheekbone and a broken rib. I called shelter services, but there were no beds available.

The city of Toronto is reporting that 320 people a day call shelter services with no beds available. The lack of shelter and medical care has caused the number of people dying on the streets to double from 100 to 200 per year under this government. The city of Toronto has developed a housing plan with a target of 65,000 new rent-controlled homes but will need $3.7 billion from the provincial government.

Will this government continue to let this crisis worsen, or will they help fund Mayor Chow’s plan?

We actually stepped in when the federal government wouldn’t step in. If you ask municipal partners across the GTA what the biggest challenge is that they have right now, it is asylum seekers who have come to this province and do not have the space, and the fact that the federal government has literally abandoned them.

Now, this Premier and this government stepped up to the plate and provided additional funding for all of our partners in the GTA. In fact, in yesterday’s FES, if I’m not mistaken, the federal Liberal government decided to provide more to support the media than they did to support asylum seekers and shelters in Toronto. That is the priority of the federal Liberal government.

So I say to the member opposite, if you’re really concerned about this issue, you have an opportunity. You didn’t do it here. Call your friends in Ottawa who hold the balance of power and say the status quo in Ottawa is not working. Tell them to vote against the FES and take down this federal Liberal government so that we can get a government that actually cares about the people of the province of Ontario.

The Standing Committee on Social Policy.

Supplementary question? The member for Spadina–Fort York.

The next question.

The division bells rang from 1146 to 1151.

On November 21, 2023, Miss Surma moved second reading of Bill 151, An Act to amend various statutes regarding infrastructure.

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

Second reading agreed to.

I’ll look to the minister for a committee referral.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1155 to 1300.

Report continues in volume B.

Just in that vein of wishing people a happy birthday, today is the birthday of Madeleine Meilleur, a champion of francophone-Ontarian rights. A former member here for 13 years and for 10 years preceding that she served on Ottawa city council, Vanier city council and Ottawa regional council—we have a lot of councils back east. It’s a great day for her and I want to wish her a very, very happy birthday.