My question is for the Solicitor General.

Since the introduction of the Liberal carbon tax in 2019, life has become more and more unaffordable for Ontarians. With the support of the Liberal members in this House, the federal government continues to punish Ontario families who are already struggling to put food on the table and heat their homes. It’s forcing Ontarians to pay more at the gas pump—a 14-cent increase just yesterday. This is not what the hard-working people of the province of Ontario deserve.

The carbon tax is costing everyone, including our front-line heroes.

Ontario deserves better, and our government must do all we can to fight this regressive tax.

Can the Solicitor General please explain the consequences of the federal carbon tax on our province’s public safety system?

It is truly disappointing to see the federal government ignore the significant financial burden the carbon tax places on all of our front-line heroes.

Unfortunately, both the NDP and the Liberal members in this Legislature continue to support the federal Liberals and their unjust carbon tax. They just have to make a phone call to Jagmeet and Justin and ask them to change it.

Speaker, since our government was elected in 2018, affordability has been one of our top priorities. Unlike the carbon tax queen, Bonnie Crombie, our government is fighting the carbon tax. We’ve frozen the gas tax, and we’re saving Ontarians’ hard-earned money.

We’re keeping the pressure on and calling for the carbon tax to be scrapped so that the first responders who keep our communities safe won’t be impacted by this regressive tax.

Can the Solicitor General please explain how the Liberal carbon tax is negatively impacting law enforcement and public safety agencies all across Ontario?

Speaker, people in my riding are concerned about an increase in crime in our community. Peterborough has always been a peaceful town, and now we’re seeing an increase in gun crime that would have been unheard of not that long ago. We’ve had five shootings in the last five months, with the most recent one being just this past Saturday. People in Peterborough are concerned about an increase in violence that appears to be fuelled by the drug trade.

The media often focus on stories of crimes in larger cities, but I want to know, what’s the Solicitor General doing for communities like Peterborough that are concerned about public safety? How is the Solicitor General going to tackle crime in communities like mine?

It’s great to hear how joint operations can be so effective. Peterborough is a small police service, and their resources are spread thin. Our community looks to the province for support in achieving our provincial goals.

Mr. Speaker, could the minister share more about the investments our government is specifically providing to the people of Peterborough–Kawartha?