My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. This Monday is April Fool’s Day. Lots of jokes are going to be told, but none from the federal Liberals. They’re not joking about their 23% increase to the carbon tax on April 1. In fact, they’re very serious. It’s a cruel joke to Canadians.

In fact, they’re going to continue to hike the carbon tax each and every year, despite businesses and individuals calling on them to scrap it. It’s yet another Liberal tax grab, and our government continues to stand up against it. Instead of doing the same, Bonnie Crombie, the queen of the carbon tax and the provincial Liberals, haven’t said one single word to their federal colleagues.

We’re going to continue to stand up against this tax. I have a private member’s motion later today asking us to spike the hike. Minister, can you tell us how scrapping the carbon tax will affect the people that are powering our economy?

Back to the minister: Bonnie Crombie has now flip-flopped and said that if she was Premier, she wouldn’t introduce a carbon tax. But she won’t even stand up and say one word to her federal colleagues in advance of their cruel joke they’re playing on Canadians on April 1.

The people of Ontario aren’t as gullible as she thinks. They also remember her close friends, her campaign team—what the Trudeau Liberals said in the 2019 election: that they had no intention of raising the carbon tax. I think we all know how that played out for Canadians.

The hard-working Ontarians, the hard-working businesses that are powering our economy have had enough of Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax. They want the tax scrapped.

Minister, can you explain how what we’re doing in Ontario by lowering costs and how that plays out for our economy?