I appreciate that question, especially as I’m going through estimates for the year ahead, so I’m happy to share with that member what we’ve got planned.

Speaker, when it comes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, Ontario leads Canada. We’re doing it with the largest public transit investment in Canadian history, taking 28,000 cars off the road alone with the Ontario Line. We’re doing it partnering with industry—not driving those jobs out of Canada, but partnering with them to electrify the arc furnace at Dofasco. That’s the equivalent of taking two million cars off the road and empowering the next generation with clean, green jobs.

Finally, as you will see in the estimates, we’ve committed a record investment for green lands protection. Last year alone, we protected almost 400,000 acres so Ontarians can get out and enjoy the great outdoors. We committed $14 million in this budget. And we’re expanding wetlands through the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program.

Speaker, I could go on, and I’ll share more in the supplementary if I’m given the opportunity.

I thank the fantastic member for his important question. It’s on the minds of many whom I’ve had the opportunity to visit in the Lake Simcoe region, and that’s why my ministry and the incredible team at the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is working hard to implement the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan by working with partners, including Indigenous communities and municipalities. We recognize the need to manage and expand and lay the critical infrastructure required for growth while also protecting the environment. That’s why I’m proud to say that working with communities there, we’ve ensured that this government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, has made the largest single investment into phosphorus reduction in that lake’s history. That’s building the critical infrastructure we need to support tomorrow’s growth while also protecting Lake Simcoe for generations to come, and I’m very proud of the leadership of this Premier and government.

You know, the first time I ever heard members opposite ask about this important phosphorus reduction initiative was when the member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas wrote to me asking why it hasn’t happened sooner. It’s not lost on me or anyone in the Lake Simcoe watershed that when that party had the opportunity to prop the previous Liberal government up, they voted to send sewage into Lake Simcoe, this shallow receptor body, and it was just shocking—shocking to Chief Big Canoe, shocking to neighbouring municipalities. We’re going to work with them to implement a solution.

Thank you to the member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston. He’s such a strong advocate for the outdoors and our environment.

The member is right; you’ll hear a lot from members opposite—they will oppose a couple of trees that would take 28,000 cars off the road, with the largest public transit expansion in Canada’s history that this government, under this Premier, is making. They’ll be against building more homes, but they have no solutions.

That’s why I’m pleased to say that thanks to this finance minister and this Premier, in the budget, we’re investing more than $14 million more in the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program. This is a solution to protecting more in the province of Ontario and represents a 40% increase in funding, which will be used to secure ecologically important land and conserve Ontario’s natural beauty.

Speaker, you can’t spell “Conservative” without the word “conserve.” And I’m pleased to stand here today to tell you that we’re getting it done for the people—

Interjections.

I heard a member opposite say “cringey,” and it’s that member who said that who has presided over sewage spills in her own community and proposed no solutions to that. But this government is getting it done.

We hear a lot about pointing fingers at problems, with no solutions from the members opposite.

Well, a solution to conserve more land is to invest in the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program. It has protected over 400,000 acres of land and is the single largest provincial fund in this province’s history to support private land security. That’s the equivalent of over 300,000 football fields of protection under this Premier and this government. That’s real action. That’s real results.

Mr. Speaker, the previous government talked a lot about it, but we never saw these sorts of funds, these envelopes to conserve and protect more.

It’s under the leadership of this Premier and this government that they’re going to work with—

Thank you to the member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan for that question.

Speaker, it was actually just after that announcement, having thin pancakes, that I really realized what a strong voice we have in Thunder Bay in that member. I could barely get a mouthful in while the people came and engaged our member on the great work that he’s doing there.

One of those key elements is about how we protect the north, both for people and the species that call the north home. As minister I understand the importance of doing everything that we can do to protect the north. That’s why I was proud to announce with that member an investment of almost $30 million to protect boreal caribou habitat in the place that they call home. This builds on the existing work that we’ve done to protect 11.2-million acres of caribou habitat that Ontario already protects with our parks and conservation reserves—

I just wanted to quickly welcome a fantastic member of our team at the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Tim Wontorra. Welcome, Tim.

Thank you to the member opposite for that important question. Speaker, I think it’s important that each and every action that I take as Minister of the Environment and that this government takes is done with Indigenous communities. That’s why when I heard from Chief Duquette at Dokis First Nation about important work we’re doing on adjusting boundaries, we said yes. We said yes as a government: We would work with them to address measures within the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, to work—listening—with the First Nations community.

When Merv Cheechoo spoke with us when I was up in Treaty 9 territory and asked about greater protections for French River, we said yes. These are all actions taken by Indigenous leaders, and each and every time we’ve listened. We’ve worked with them to explore the art of the possible. But it’s important to note, Speaker, that this is led by and for Indigenous communities, and I’ll always be willing to work alongside them to achieve their goals and objectives.

When it comes to protecting water and working together, it is this government that, for the first time ever, launched the First Nations Advisory Circle through a mandate that I issued at the Ontario Clean Water Agency. Again, underscored by the principle “never about us without us,” we continue to work with Indigenous communities to protect water in the north.

And, Speaker, it’s this government that has led unprecedented plastic-capture technology on our Great Lakes. It’s this government that is working at unlocking the potential that is the north. When I was on Treaty 9 territory, Chief Archibald welcomed the opportunity that EVs present the north to unlock the potential of this province. We understand—