Summer will soon be upon us, and so is the time to enjoy Ontario’s great outdoors, and that includes having fun with our family on the water. Ontario has so many great rivers, so many great lakes, and I know I’m going to be out there this summer on a boat on a lake. We have such beautiful settings to enjoy the water in this great province.

The bill we are speaking to this evening will ensure that Ontarians enjoy this activity in a safe manner, specifically young children who are out with their families. Many of the statistics have already been stated. What I think is important is, not wearing a life jacket is the number one risk for drowning while boating.

That being said, Speaker, I love boating. I have to admit that I was also surprised, just like the member from Nickel Belt, and others have said it here—I was extremely surprised when I heard it wasn’t mandatory. I was very fortunate growing up by a lake in the summer. I remember my mom and dad, who could not swim, always had their life jackets on. The four of us kids hopped in the boat. We called it the Batmobile. Everybody wore their life jacket. It was mandatory for us to wear our life jackets. That carries through to now my generation, my child and all my nieces and nephews. It’s mandatory. You must wear your life jacket. So I was shocked when I found out it wasn’t mandatory. This is just good common sense.

I would like to thank the member from Carleton for bringing forth this private member’s bill. I would also like to thank her for carrying this forward from the previous member from Parry Sound–Muskoka, Norm Miller. Thank you.

As a government, we are taking the common-sense steps to lower the risk of drowning and ensure our children can safely enjoy water sports while on any type of pleasure boat as well as while being towed by that said pleasure boat. This bill makes sure that every parent or guardian knows this is mandatory.

We all agree that this life-saving requirement is a necessity. Let’s have fun out on the water in the safest manner.

It is a pleasure for me to stand and speak on behalf of Bill 93, in support of Bill 93. I want to thank the member from Carleton for bringing this forward. I know she’s done this not only because she believes in it passionately herself, but she also believes in our old friend Norm Miller, who is here in the gallery today.

I had the pleasure of being in this House when then-MPP Miller brought this bill forward, and it’s a bill we can all easily stand behind because it is such absolutely—you don’t have to think about it. Why would we not want to do everything we can to protect our children or grandchildren or any young person when they’re in a watercraft?

It was the kind of bill that you would expect Norm to bring forward originally, because that’s the kind of person he is. In his over 20 years in this House, he was always looking, “How can I use my voice as an MPP to do better things and do positive things for people in the general population?” He saw an opportunity and he saw something where it was lacking, and that was, why are we not actually doing something to ensure that our children are actually wearing that personal flotation device when they’re in a boat?

So I want to thank, again, my colleague from Carleton and welcome my friend Norm Miller here once again, and thank him for his original idea of bringing this forward so we can make Ontario not only the best place to live, work and raise a family, but the safest place for our children.