Thank you to the member opposite for that question. Of course, the federal government and all parties have launched the committee and the process for that. We’ll let them do their work.

But while we’re at it, Mr. Speaker, what about that carbon tax that the federal government, which this party supports, put on the backs of the people of Ontario? That is causing rising costs and food prices in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what Ontario has done. Let me take you back to when we reduced the gas tax by 5.7 cents a litre. Let me take you back to when we took licence plate fees off the backs of Ontario drivers. Let me take you to today, when we just increased the minimum wage to the second-highest in the country. Let me tell you what we’re doing tomorrow: We have the staycation tax credit, the seniors tax credit, the job training tax credit, the child care tax credit—Mr. Speaker, we recalled the Legislature this summer to get things going for the people of Ontario. Support us.

Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, we have a plan for Ontarians. We have a plan to build Ontario. We took that plan to the people of Ontario. It was roundly endorsed by the people of Ontario, as witnessed by all the people on both sides. That plan is to get shovels in the ground to build hospitals, to build highways, to build long-term care, to support labour, to get more workers, retrain workers for the jobs of today and for tomorrow and to help keep costs down for the people of Ontario. We are delivering for the people of Ontario.

Let me ask you this: Did they vote to raise minimum wage, which we introduced in our fall economic statement in 2021, Build Ontario?

La Loi de 2022 pour favoriser le développement est une loi importante qui nous permettrait de mettre en oeuvre ce plan.

Madam Speaker, I urge all members to vote for this plan. Together, let’s build Ontario.

Thank you to the member from Brampton North for that very good question. Russia’s war in the Ukraine, tension in Asia and inflation that we haven’t seen in four decades are driving up global prices, but this government will always be there for the people of Ontario in these uncertain times. That is why our government raised the minimum wage, and will raise it again in October to $15.50 an hour. That is why we eliminated the need for licence plate stickers and renewal fees, saving drivers up to $120 per year. That’s why we’re proposing the enhanced LIFT tax credit, providing additional relief for those making less than $50,000 a year. With this change, 1.1 million low-income workers would see an additional $300 on average in tax relief in 2022.

The best way to support workers and families is to put more money back into their pockets, Mr. Speaker, and that’s exactly what this government is doing.

Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, for families trying to make ends meet, high gas prices are never a blessing in disguise. This government understands that high gas prices are a financial burden on many Ontarians, taking hard-earned money out of their pockets—for families, for workers and for seniors. That’s why this government is focused on keeping costs down. That’s why this government eliminated the Liberals’ cap-and-trade tax scheme. This government temporarily cut the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre through our Tax Relief at the Pumps Act.

Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. According to Statistics Canada, the price of gas fell furthest in Ontario because of our gas tax—

Thank you to the members.

Our plan also is a plan that includes working for workers. To begin, we are putting more money into workers’ pockets by raising the minimum wage to $15.50 per hour, starting on October 1, 2022. Our plan includes attracting and recruiting more workers into skilled trades, with an additional $114 million over three years in our skilled trades strategy. We have relaunched our very successful Second Career program into Better Jobs Ontario. We’re expanding college degree-granting programs to build a pipeline of job-ready graduates in applied fields, helping students get into the workforce faster.

And we are investing $67 million over three years to fund the Ontario bridge training program to help eligible immigrants bridge their international training and experience with in-demand jobs in their communities. Our economy needs these skilled workers, and our workers need our support. That is why our government is working for workers.

The final chapter of our budget is our plan to stay open. The people and businesses of Ontario have been tested by the pandemic, and those tests continue. Our plan includes investments and actions to help keep our economy open and to invest in our health and long-term-care system.

One such investment is included in the Plan to Build Act, and that is our proposed new Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit. This new tax credit would help low- to moderate-income senior families with eligible medical expenses, including certified attendant care, assistive breathing devices, and hearing and walking aids. In 2022, this new personal income tax credit would provide an estimated $110 million in support to about 200,000 low-income to moderate-income senior families, or about $550 on average. Senior families would first claim this credit when they file their 2022 tax returns. This proposed measure would help seniors age in their homes, surrounded by their loved ones and their memories.

Our plan to stay open also includes a 10-year, $40-billion hospital capital plan, which represents the most ambitious plan for hospital expansion in Ontario’s history, supporting more than 50 major hospital projects and adding 3,000 new beds over the next 10 years.

The plan also includes investing now in long-term care. Ontario now has over 31,000 new and over 28,000 upgraded beds in the development pipeline to get long-term-care beds built, to get seniors and other individuals the care they need and deserve.

Our government is planning to invest up to an additional $1 billion over the next three years to expand home care. Our plan to stay open takes immediate action to support the hard-working health care workers who have done so much to keep us safe—a credible recovery plan that will eliminate the provincial deficit two years earlier than projected in the 2021 budget.

While we’re doing this, we are providing nurses with a retention bonus of up to $5,000. We’re making the wage enhancement for more than 158,000 personal support workers and direct support workers permanent.

That is Ontario’s Plan to Build. It’s a plan to invest and invest responsibly, with spending increasing by an annual average of over 5%, with investments in health care, in education and other critical infrastructure. These are the types of investments that will help lead a credible recovery plan and, as I just mentioned, that will help eliminate the provincial deficit two years earlier than projected in the 2021 budget.

The Plan to Build Act is an important piece of legislation that will enable us to put this plan into action. I urge all members—all members—to vote for this plan to build, this plan to get the work done for the Ontario families.

La Loi pour favoriser le développement est un texte législatif qui nous permettra de mettre en oeuvre ce plan. Je demande donc aux députés d’adopter ce plan pour bâtir, ce plan pour favoriser le développement, ce plan qui nous permettra de travailler pour les familles ontariennes.

This is a plan to build Ontario together. This is a plan for all Ontarians. Join us in this plan and do it for all Ontarians.