Mr. Speaker, I have to be honest here. I just met with Dairy Farmers of Ontario this morning. The fact of the matter is, time and again in this House I rise to talk about the investments that, under the leadership of Premier Ford and the support of this entire government—we are making historic movements forward in support of our agri-food industry. One example is the $1.7 billion that we’re investing over five years in partnership with the federal government through the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership. Another example is what we are hearing from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario today, because they’re ready to grow, and they know it’s with our government, with our leadership that their industry is going to continue to grow and flourish for generations to come.

Again, the meeting I had this morning with the Dairy Farmers of Ontario points to our Grow Ontario Strategy, where we’re going to be increasing the consumption and production of Ontario-produced food and beverage by 30% by the year 2032. The Dairy Farmers of Ontario were identifying how they can support that strategy, because I can tell you specifically the dairy farmers in southwestern Ontario, they’re ready to grow, and I am going to do everything I can to make sure that they understand they’ve got the full support of our Ontario government.

The thing that the members opposite could really do if they were sincere about helping farmers throughout Ontario is fighting that carbon tax, because—

Interjections.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to share, through you to the member opposite, that we have taken very thoughtful approaches to how we look to increase housing opportunities—not only in intensifying in urban areas, but also along our rural roadways.

Earlier, this winter, the Premier and I met with dairy farmers from Elgin county, and we talked specifically about the importance of minimum distance separation. We also very much appreciate and respect the ag impact.

That’s why I’m pleased that our ministry worked so incredibly well, not only with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, but with the Premier’s office, to make sure that when we look to increase housing opportunities—primarily to address farmers’ requests, in terms of having an extra lot for their son or daughter or an employee to live close to the farm—we’re taking that into consideration. We’re going to be okay, because again, we’re thoughtful, and we’re respecting the MDS as well as ag impact.

The member opposite is clearly out of touch, because for the last number of weeks we’ve been making historic announcements. We’re investing over $2 billion in Ontario’s agri-food industry, from the laneway through to processing.

Farmers are buoyed; they’re energized. They know they have a government in Premier Ford and all of us in caucus who actually understand the business of producing food. For instance, we have introduced a soil health study that RBC noted as a hidden gem in the budget. It’s $9.5 million that is going to look at the health of soil.

I was just at the Earlton Farm Show this past weekend, and people are applauding the fact that we actually get it and are demonstrating that we are moving on priorities that truly matter to farmers, who are working so hard to produce good-quality food in Ontario.

It’s a pleasure to rise in this House to address the amazing industry that we have in Ontario, our agri-food sector.

Just on Monday, we released a Grow Ontario plan that has been well received by every commodity organization and every general farm organization in this province. Part of that strategy over the next 10 years is to see production increase by 30%. Farmers and agri-food businesses alike are applauding the fact that we have a strategy that’s going to see our agri-food sector not only excel but, year over year, increase yields as we embrace new innovations and new technologies that are going to see our yields go through the roof. Why? Ontario consumers need confidence in their food supply—not only in this province, but across Canada.

The rest of the world is watching our industry because they’re seeing us as leaders.

Again, our future is bright in Ontario’s agri-food industry.

The fact of the matter is, we have released a strategy that has been embraced by every single player and stakeholder in our value chain. We’re looking to strengthen our agri-food supply chain over the next 10 years. We’re increasing production by 30%. We’re increasing food manufacturing by 30%. We’re increasing our exports by 8% annually. And most importantly, we’re looking to increase our food and beverage manufacturing by 10%.

Again, the future is bright because we have a government that not only understands but cares for the agri-food industry in this province. By working through our three pillars—to strengthen our supply chain; to embrace innovation and agri-tech; as well as growing our labour force, our workforce and the talent within our agri-food sector—we are going to excel, and the world is going to see us as a world leader.

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is, when we met with stakeholders just last week—the Premier and our parliamentary assistants—we heard loud and clear from our agricultural stakeholders that the number one issue in Ontario right now is labour. You can grow all the crops that you want in this province, but if we don’t have processors with the proper labour force, then it’s all for naught.

Our number one priority is making sure—

Interjection.

Again, we have a housing crisis in this province of Ontario—and our processors and our stakeholders are asking for more homes to support that labour.

I appreciate the question very much, and I do appreciate how hard the member opposite works on behalf of our agricultural communities in her riding.

With that said, we are all working very, very hard to ensure that we have food security that people can trust across this province, across Canada and throughout North America. And with that spirit, we are working on innovation and opportunities to increase yield right here at home so that good-quality food is available to Ontarians when they need it, at the right price. We’re looking to introduce a food strategy plan later this fall that will speak to the importance of secure supply chains so that we can ensure that we’re increasing our yields right here at home and intensifying our production so that we can maximize the opportunities that we have in our lands across this province.

We’re going to have a balanced approach. Minister Clark has a very good path forward in terms of making sure that we are addressing the housing needs—affordable, attainable housing needs that we have across this province. We’ll be balancing it with the importance of food security and enabling our farmers to be the best across Canada. Certainly, that’s something that I can pick up in terms of a conversation and follow up with the minister in Alberta to better understand what they have and see if it’s appropriate here, in the spirit of making sure that we have the balanced approach to making sure we are achieving our goal to meet housing needs, all the while ensuring that we have food security right here close to home.