Thank you to the minister for being such a progressive advocate for the small businesses and entrepreneurs in Ontario.

This regressive carbon tax hurts the very people that any government should be helping. The carbon tax hurts the farmers who grow the food, the truckers who move the food, the restaurants who serve the food and the consumers who buy the food. Even worse, it is Ontario entrepreneurs and our small businesses that are forced to shoulder increased costs because of this regressive tax and rising interest rates.

At a time when concern for economic security and cost of living is so high, the last thing Ontarians need is higher taxes. Speaker, can the minister please explain why removing harmful taxes like the carbon tax is so vital to helping support our small businesses?

Thank you, Minister, for that excellent response.

Speaker, I’ve heard that some child care operators advocated for greater streamlining of the funding rules laid out in the document they received from the ministry in April of this year. Different interpretations in different regions impacted operators, some of whom are waiting to decide to opt in to this program. This could result in families in my riding having to pay additional costs for child care when they wouldn’t have to. We know that operators ultimately must enroll in order for parents to save. Many parents in my riding are overwhelmed by the extra work hours they need to put in to now earn more money to help provide for their families.

After costs rose by over 400% under the Liberals, all levels of government must do better. Can the minister outline how the government plans to streamline the application process so that we can encourage more participation?