Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is to my friend opposite, the Premier. Premier McGuinty's health tax takes about $900 a year from the pockets of middle-class families. His hydro increases are making them pay $732 more per year.

Interjections.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: His income tax and property tax increases over the past seven years have made Ontario families pay several thousand more dollars a year. And his HST is making a typical middle-class family pay over $1,041 a year.

Interjections.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Is there any wonder why the mention of his name has Ontario families hiding their wallets?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: That is-

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I appreciate the question. I didn't really appreciate the background graphics that were associated with it.

Premier?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: That's some wonderful, creative technicolour fiction, which is always a source of interest and amusement, but let's stick to the facts. Here are the facts: We are cutting personal income taxes for 93% of Ontarians. It works out to $200 a year per person-that's permanent. There is a transition benefit for our tax reforms. Families will receive $1,000; individuals, $300.

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: They voted against that, Premier.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: They voted against that as well.

Our new sales tax credit: $260 each for adults and children-that will benefit nearly three million Ontarians. They voted against that as well.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: The Premier just doesn't get it. That's probably why 30 members of his caucus didn't show up today, because he just doesn't get-

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock, please.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I really do appreciate all the armchair Speakers that are here trying to assist me, but there is only one Speaker and it is me. If you would like to come up and sit here some time, I think it would be very good for each and every one of you to come and spend some time in this chair. But there is one Speaker and it's me, and I don't need the assistance of others.

I just will remind the honourable member that we do have an understanding within this place that, notwithstanding that she spoke to a number of absences without anybody specific, we don't know why any individual member may or may not be here and it's just best we don't do that.

Please continue.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I think it was just a critical mass that has us concerned on this side.

But the Premier says he's got plans. He says he's-

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Minister of Economic Development, do you want to trade seats?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Even veiled references.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: The Premier says he's got a plan. He's got a long-term energy plan, an HST job plan, but there's no point in asking for specifics over there, like when the first 60,000 families will see the jobs that he said the HST will create. The former revenue minister said, "Most of them have already been created." The current minister is no better. She stuck with the same talking points when 36,000 jobs were lost.

My question for the Premier is: Are you so out of touch that you don't understand that taxes should be going down while jobs should be going up?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Lots of enthusiasm, lots of excitement and lots of energy, but not a lot of specifics. But for the benefit of Ontarians, I will speak to one specific put forward by the official opposition to this point in time, because there is a dearth of specificity when it comes to their plans.

They're going to take $3 billion out of health care. That's going to be one of their cuts. They're going to take $3 billion out of health care. I want you to imagine how many thousands of nurses that will require that we lay off in the province of Ontario. I want you to ask yourself how many hospital beds will have to be closed as a result of that. I want you to think of the increased wait times as a result of the lack of access to human resources and technologies available to Ontarians that are associated with their tax cuts. I think it's important that we remain somewhat sober-minded as we consider their reckless plans to cut taxes.