Good morning, Speaker. My question to the member—it’s always interesting to hear you rise in the House. We’re neighbours, and so I like to hear what’s going on in your riding.

You talked about how this government purports to be fiscal Conservatives, but, as you had noted, right now Ontario has the largest net debt per capita in the country. Right now, the debt per capita is $19,436, so every Ontarian essentially owes that much money.

So this government has the largest debt and deficit ever, and the largest in Ontario, while at the same time, they are pulling up the rear when it comes to per capita spending in health care. Can you square this? How is the government underspending in the things that matter to us—health care and infrastructure in rural communities—at the same time that they have the largest deficit in the history of the province?

On behalf of both Hamilton members here, we want to welcome to our House members from the Woman Abuse Working Group, Erin Griver, and from the YWCA, Daniela Giulietti. I want to thank all of the agencies in Hamilton working around intimate partner violence. It’s an important issue, and we really appreciate you coming here today to stand up—thank you.

Thank you to the Minister of Agriculture. You talked about farmers being handcuffed, so I’m sure you’ll be sympathetic to the farmers of Wilmot. Those farmers, who are now facing forced expropriation of their farms—770 acres of class 1 farmland. So we met—the official opposition NDP—with these farmers who were here at Queen’s Park yesterday, looking for answers from you, Minister.

They still don’t know why they are being threatened with expropriation. Some of these people have been farming these lands since 1880. The Christian farmers’ federation said, “It is shameful that our farmers, stewards of our land, are left vulnerable to such injustice. Our government should protect them....”

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has called for a pause. Your Get It Done bill, schedule 1, fast-tracks expropriation of farmland without an environment assessment, and certainly, the question is: Are you using this bill to fast-track this expropriation?

Finally, Minister, my question to you is: why is there such secrecy and why are you allowing farmers to be left in the dark when they are being forced to sell their land?

March or April.