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Decentralized Democracy

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy

  • MPP
  • Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Pickering—Uxbridge
  • Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
  • Ontario
  • Suite 213 1550 Kingston Rd. Pickering, ON L1V 1C3
  • tel: 905-509-0336
  • fax: 905-509-0334
  • Peter.Bethlenfalvy@pc.ola.org

  • Government Page
  • Mar/19/24 11:30:00 a.m.

Thank you again to the hard-working member for that question. We know that now is not the time to sit back and wait, and that’s why our government has taken real action. For the millions of Ontario drivers, we have extended the gas tax cut to June 2024. In fact, Mr. Speaker, since we have put the gas tax cut in place, we have saved Ontario taxpayers $2.1 billion. Mr. Speaker, that’s the largest tax cut Ontarians have seen this century. Let that sink in: the largest tax cut this century in Ontario.

So while the opposition huddles over there, they can continue to vote against making life affordable. Our government will not stop the work to put more money back into the hard-working people of this province.

And of course, that means that the hard-working people at the Beer Store, the hard-working people at the LCBO, people right across this province, the workers who produce the beer, the people who distribute the beer, the people who retail the beer, are going to have a role in the modernization of the alcohol system in Ontario, because we’re going to get it done.

But let me also remind the member opposite, it was this government that froze the beer tax again for the sixth year in a row. And may I remind the member opposite that it was the federal government that increased the beer tax again this year.

Mr. Speaker, it’s this government that is moving forward, along with the hard-working people at the LCBO and the hard-working workers at the Beer Store, to provide convenience and choice for Ontarians right across this province.

On December 14, the Premier and I made a big announcement on behalf of all Ontarians that we were going to open up beer and wine and ready-to-drink distribution to convenience stores right across this province—the hard-working convenience store operators who’ve been asking for decades for this opportunity—so that people can have more convenience, so that people can have more choice, so that we can introduce some competition.

Does the member opposite really want to live in 1929, or does she want to live in 2024 and modernize the alcohol system?

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  • Dec/1/22 10:50:00 a.m.

Thank you to the member opposite for that question.

Mr. Speaker, those contracts, which were signed about a decade ago, in 2012—between 2011 and 2014, I think there was a minority government. And who supported the minority Liberals?

Interjection: Catherine Fife.

Over the last decade, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has been good for taxpayers—in fact, the most recent year returned $1.5 billion to the taxpayers of this great province. Not only that—provided significant growth to the economy through good jobs, good-paying jobs, bigger paycheques.

Finally, the citizens of this province have a great entertainment industry, through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., that provides entertainment value to the citizens at all the casinos and all the great—

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has a very rigorous process, has policies and procedures in place—and they’ve increased their enforcement over the years and are doing a terrific job.

We will always go after bad actors.

But let me tell you this: I have to question the scope and the mission creep of the Auditor General using taxpayer dollars to do a sting operation in an area where we have plenty of enforcement in this province.

We are going to go after the bad actors. We are going to make sure that we have the high standards in this province. We take it seriously, the OLG takes it seriously, and this government takes it seriously.

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  • Aug/18/22 11:00:00 a.m.

Congratulations, and welcome to the House, the member from Don Valley West.

Mr. Speaker, she referenced fiscal responsibility, and we completely agree. This province is focused on delivering value for taxpayer money.

Let me go back to the 15 years of the Liberal government, supported for three years by the NDP: $200 billion of extra debt—$200 billion. Did we get more subways? Did we get more highways? Did we get more hospitals? Did we get a long-term-care bill? Did we hire nurses?

Mr. Speaker, the case: We went to the people of Ontario. They endorsed our plan to build Ontario.

You have an opportunity to vote in favour of the budget. Please join us.

Interjections.

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