Tomorrow, this government will table their budget. It has been said many times in this House that a budget is a moral document. Theology teaches us that those with political power and economic wealth are to use their position to benefit those who society has marginalized. At a time when so many Ontarians are struggling to find housing, to feed themselves, we are looking for this government to provide relief.

We are also witnessing a large increase in femicides in this province. Gender-based violence is an epidemic. Despite our pleas, this government has continued to refuse to name it as an epidemic. This government has failed to introduce any new initiatives or investments to protect and ensure that women and children are safe in Ontario. Women in my riding are waiting over six months for services from sexual assault centres and 18 months for supervised access programs. Organizations across Ontario that help victims of gender-based violence have not had an increase in 15 years.

But, unfortunately, what we are seeing is a government that is increasing our tax dollars going to campaign-style ads that are nothing but self-congratulatory. This government refuses to tell us how they are spending our money, so through a freedom-of-information request, we have discovered that the government has spent about $8 million so far—that doesn’t include the $38 million on ads this government has placed since 2019. That’s a lot of tax money that could have gone into investments in health care, in housing and preventing gender-based violence.

Ontarians will be watching and hoping to see a budget that shows that this government understands that it is their moral responsibility to help the people of Ontario.