I thank the member opposite for the thoughtful question.

There was wide consultation. It began in March 2020, just before the COVID restrictions were put into place, and it concluded earlier this year. This included, of course, online submissions. It included round tables. It included written submissions. And we heard from everybody—individual consumers with their own anecdotes, families of those who were affected, law enforcement, legal groups and consumer advocacy groups, as well as specific groups representing the elderly, one of whom I quoted in my speech. With that kind of feedback and consultation, we believe we’ve found that correct balance the member speaks of.

We welcome proposed amendments, but I think this bill finds the right balance and is based and reflective of input from literally thousands and thousands of participants.

When it comes to the cost of groceries, of course, we’ve already had debate in this House about price escalations, particularly for groceries, that arise from the carbon tax, and I think the member opposite knows our government’s position on that. We say repeal the carbon tax, and we’ve called upon the federal government to do that.

With respect to price gouging generally, it is a specific, prohibited, unfair practice in the proposed new bill. It will better enable our government to respond to price gouging in the marketplace in the future, in a general sense. This prohibition would not address systematic high prices, including in sectors such as grocery retail, as the CPA is not a price-control statute. Issues related to market dominance and anti-competitive conduct would typically fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Competition Bureau.

Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

As the new minister responsible for this, as one of 12 administrative authorities under the jurisdiction of my ministry—Ontarians’ well-being is a top priority for our government, and my ministry and I hold our oversight over the ESA very, very seriously. That is why we continue to ensure and enhance public electrical safety in the province of Ontario, through the ESA.

The ESA has advised that as of the morning of September 20, 2023, the Society of United Professionals has commenced strike action. The union represents about 12% of the ESA workforce, primarily in the engineering, IT, communications and licensing departments. The remainder of ESA employees continue to work, including inspectors and customer service call centre representatives. Any questions regarding the collective bargaining process should be directed to the ESA.