Meegwetch. Thank you, Speaker. Remarks in Anishininiimowin. Good morning. It’s always an honour to be able to stand up in this place on behalf of the people of Kiiwetinoong. It’s also an honour to be able to speak on this bill, Bill 102, the Strengthening Safety and Modernizing Justice Act. We know that there are many parts to this bill. There are amendments to the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, as well as the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019. In the last four years since then, I’ve heard a lot of lip service from this government as it relates to policing. Some of it is good, if you live in a town or a city where there’s lots of funding and resourcing made available to your police services, but it’s not that good if you live in a First Nation, if you live on a reserve, also referred to as an Indian reserve; it’s not good for police services that are on-reserve. I know that First Nations police services need better funding from the federal and provincial governments to serve their people effectively.

In my language, there’s a name that’s very descriptive of what a policeman is. My language, Anishininiimowin, also known as Oji-Cree, is a very descriptive language. What we call a police officer is tukaanaawehnineh—that means a person who takes somebody away. That description comes from the old Indian residential school days, because the RCMP were used to take away our children, to take them to Indian residential schools. I just wanted to share that.

What many in this House may not know is that Indigenous police services are not essential services, and legal and funding frameworks are needed to change that status.

I want to sidestep a bit. I know there is a recruitment issue for police officers in parts of Ontario, particularly in the north, and I know that this bill will not solve that. I know that there are many staffing shortages in some communities in Ontario that are largely because officers are affected by PTSD. In the OPP, Ontario Provincial Police service, constables on long-term leave make up 30% of the vacancies. I believe that.

I believe that there are a lot of officers who are off right now. I was just talking to one this morning. He’s a good friend of mine. He has been an officer for about 30 years, and he’s off right now on PTSD. His name is Jerry Mosquito. He’s up in Big Trout Lake, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, this morning. About two or three Christmases ago—it was during the holidays, in between Christmas and New Year’s—we were talking on the phone in my language. After I hung up—I didn’t know what he was saying—what clicked after is that he was actually saying goodbye to me. I could hear him talk about the stuff that he was doing, how proud he was of what he was doing, but also how proud—because we’re good friends. It took me maybe an hour to call 911 on him. I was afraid to call 911 because I thought I would upset him, and me and his wife—actually, I think it was his wife who finally made a decision to call 911. It was hard. Then we didn’t talk for maybe a year after that. The OPP should be reaching out and saying, “We’re going to help you”—and make sure that you are providing the proper clinical support, the mental support that he needs.

I think we need to start hearing stories of what officers actually do to protect us. I hear the other side talk about defunding the police, but in the north we need more funding to provide that service. In my home First Nation, I think it was in 1992, 1993 maybe, when we got our first officer in the community. That’s when the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service started.

When we talk about police services in the north, currently, First Nations’ policing are funded as programs—not essential services—under the First Nations Policing Program, which was implemented in 1991 and gives Public Safety Canada the authority to administer funding, which comes from both the federal and provincial governments. Just over half of the funding, about 50%, comes from the federal government through Public Safety Canada, while the remaining 48% is funded through the Ontario government.

The First Nations Policing Program hasn’t changed much over the course of its more than 30-year lifespan. The system is broken. It maintains an unequal status quo between Indigenous and non-Indigenous policing services. But, also, I can flip it and say that it’s not broken, because it’s designed the way it’s designed to operate because that’s how oppression works; that’s how colonialism works; that’s how racism works. It’s not broken. It’s working exactly the way it’s designed to. It has always become a way of life for First Nations programming, First Nations services.

Right now, the current system basically requires First Nations police services to justify their existence, year to year to year—or for however long their policing agreement is. So First Nations police officers, generally speaking, are underpaid and do virtually the same job as an officer off-reserve.

Right now, First Nations police services are not funded to meet the adequacy standards of the OPP. The ongoing chronic underfunding affects every facet of police work on-reserve, whether it’s training, whether it’s equipment, whether it’s victim services, whether it’s employee retention or pensions. I don’t know why I call it “chronic underfunding.” It is strategic underfunding. I have learned the ways of these colonial systems that we live under as First Nations people. It’s not by accident. It’s by design.

Other provinces have made moves toward equality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous police services. The province of Alberta has amended their policing law to uphold First Nations police services as essential—nope, not in Ontario; it’s a program. In the wake of the tragedy in James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan is making its own set of commitments—nope, not in Ontario.

I think here, in Ontario, the amendments to the Police Services Act have stalled. In 2019, legislation permitted the province’s nine stand-alone Indigenous police services to opt into the Police Services Act in order to become an essential service, but there has been no resourcing put towards this legislation in Ontario to be able to make this change.

The legal counsel for Nishnawbe Aski Police Service noted earlier this year that this government has a lot to answer for: “The failure to act on this legislation over four years has to represent one of the longest delays in proclaiming legislation, certainly that I have ever seen. How is it that this happens to First Nations in this day and age?”

I cannot imagine any important legislation that goes to the heart of protecting people’s lives getting delayed like this in a non-Indigenous setting. It simply makes the point that when it comes to the safety of members of Indigenous communities, it simply sits on the back burner year after year after year while you have communities in crisis, you have deaths every day and communities being grossly under-policed, underserviced.

Just going back a little bit about policing, in the 1960s, the RCMP announced its withdrawal from policing First Nations in Ontario and Quebec. The change was transitional—announced in the early 1960s, begun in the mid-1960s, and officially completed when the Indian agent role was abolished in 1971. Before this, the RCMP policed First Nations.

Talking about police, the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, got the idea for the Mounties from the Royal Irish Constabulary, a parliamentary police force the British created to keep the Irish under control.

I’m going back because I told that story about tukaanaawehnineh, a person who takes somebody away. That’s how we describe how we know what we call a police officer—a person that takes somebody away.

The role of the Mounties was to clear the plains, the Prairies, of Indigenous people. They were there to displace Indigenous people, to move them on-reserve, to move them to Indian reserves—I grew up on an Indian reserve; we became an official reserve in 1976. That was done to displace people, whether they were willing or not.

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls talked about the RCMP this way in the findings on the right to justice:

The government of Canada used the RCMP and its predecessor, the North-West Mounted Police, to implement and enforce laws and policies designed to control, assimilate and eliminate Indigenous people. I’m not supposed to be here. We are not supposed to be here. But we are here.

You have to be able to fund Indigenous policing the way you fund non-Indigenous communities. We are not a program. The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, treaty police and Anishinaabe police should be essential services as well.

I was here in 2019, and I spoke at length about the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act. I said this earlier, but in essence, the government passed this act that would allow First Nations police services, again, to opt into the provincial policing framework. We know this cannot be done without resources to close the gap in service standards between on-reserve and off-reserve police forces.

In March, the Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario filed a human rights complaint against Public Safety Canada, accusing Ottawa of ongoing systemic discrimination perpetuated by the government of Canada through its deliberate and willful underfunding and under-resourcing of the safety of Indigenous communities through the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. Their complaint states that the government’s First Nations policing policy mandates that Canada’s own self-imposed standards for equity, requiring, at minimum, that First Nations benefit from the same standard of policing available to non-Indigenous communities—and that policing be provided in a culturally responsive manner. Ontario is responsible for that, too. Just because it doesn’t mention Ontario—you are part of the problem. Meegwetch.

Well, I can say two things about mental health. First is that this government has made a multi-million dollar commitment to assist police officers who are experiencing mental health issues, and, I believe, if I’ve not misspoken, that investment was approximately $12 million in a treatment centre which is well-known among police officers in the province of Ontario. They need and deserve our support when they experience mental health issues.

Secondly, on the topic of mental health, when a call comes into the call centre, the dispatch centre, and the dispatch officer on the phone is made aware that there might be a mental health issue that is perhaps presenting itself in a certain emergency situation, that dispatch officer does have the resources and the authority to call in other services who can attend along with the officer if that is deemed to be a safe thing to do.

Life has never been so expensive, and now more than ever we need real consumer protection in Ontario. People are paying more for less, and when you get gouged, ripped off or taken advantage of, where do you turn? How about the ministry’s consumer hotline? Tens of thousands of complaints, and not a single fine laid—so you get a lawyer to fight a giant industry that can crush you like a bug. It’s the classic story of David and Goliath.

Last year, I tabled a solution: the Ontario Consumer Watchdog Act—the creation of a powerful advocate who would have the back of consumers and the resources and powers to stand up to Goliath. And do you know what? The government said no. They voted on the side of Goliath.

This afternoon, I’m proud to table a new and strengthened Ontario Consumer Watchdog Act that reflects the crushing times consumers are facing. I’m calling on all members of this House to do the right thing and support this very important NDP bill to bring real consumer protection to Ontario.

I seek unanimous consent of the House to wear an Our London Family ribbon until the end of question period.

Recently I was proud to announce that nine organizations in Mississauga–Lakeshore have just received $969,000 through the Ontario Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Fund. This includes $200,000 to support Armagh House, the only transitional shelter in Peel for victims of domestic violence; the new house will have double the capacity moving forward. The Embrave Agency to End Violence received $40,000. DEEN Support Services received $200,000 to help expand their program for people with intellectual disabilities. Epilepsy South Central Ontario, which is now based in Port Credit, received $79,000 to help expand their program for people living with epilepsy and their families. The Don Rowing Club received $90,000 for a safety boat and rowing shells to expand their programs in Port Credit. And as we’re looking forward to the summer festival season, the Southside Shuffle festival has received $76,000, and the Crane Creations Theatre Co. received $200,000.

Speaker, I want to congratulate these non-profits again on receiving these grants, and I want to thank them for everything they do to enrich the lives of people in Mississauga–Lakeshore and to help build a better and stronger Ontario for everyone.

I want to thank the member from Kiiwetinoong for his insightful remarks. He’s a great educator for me on so many things in the community. He knows that our government fought very hard for pension equity. This is something that I was personally involved with. We corrected something that took decades to do.

We continue to advocate and speak with the chiefs of police in the First Nations communities, and I do so on a regular basis.

The member speaks about the urgency in getting the CSPA, the Community Safety and Policing Act, moving forward, and I absolutely agree with him. I have given this House an undertaking that we will move with dispatch to make sure that we proclaim it and enact it. My question to the member is, given the fact that we are moving the needle, will the member support this bill?

It’s my great honour to extend my heartfelt gratitude and a warm welcome to His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj as he graces our province with his presence later this week. His Holiness is among the most respected Hindu leaders in the world today and the current spiritual leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a worldwide organization dedicated to promoting harmony.

The presence of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj marks the commencement of the celebrations for BAPS Canada’s 50 years of dedicated community service. This auspicious event will ignite a year-long festivity, allowing us to reflect upon and commemorate the remarkable achievements and invaluable contributions of BAPS to our great nation. Over the past five decades, BAPS Canada has grown to become recognized for their community service, remarkable achievements and invaluable spiritual and humanitarian endeavours in more than 150 towns and cities across Canada. We commend their unwavering commitment to lift society as a whole. Particularly, BAPS played a vital role in supporting and serving communities in need throughout the pandemic.

In closing, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj for coming to Ontario.

We’re incredibly thankful for the impact of BAPS in making Ontario a stronger and better place to live, work and play.

You weren’t here when I spoke about an OPP officer who is on PTSD. He is up in Big Trout Lake right now. He has been off for a few years. His name is Jerry Mosquito. I spoke earlier about how sometimes he calls me. He is struggling to live. I said to the Solicitor General that at some point you should reach out to him. I think it is very important to reach out to people who are struggling, especially people who have served the community and who have seen so much stuff. I encourage you; I will even send you his phone number.

Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to wear pins in recognition of June being ALS Awareness Month.

Speaker, two years ago today, my community was shaken to our core by a despicable act of Islamophobic violence when four members of London’s beloved Afzaal family were killed in a hate-motivated attack. Yesterday, the grieving family issued a statement about the profound loss they experienced on June 6, 2021, and the emptiness that can never be filled as they remembered Salman, Madiha, Talat and Yumnah for the kind, caring and beautiful people they were. Over the last two weeks, numerous events have been held in London to mark this sombre anniversary, leading up to tonight’s vigil organized by the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia, a group formed by Yumnah’s friends and cousins. These events, and the extraordinary coming together of our community in the wake of the attack, are helping Londoners heal from the pain of that terrible day. In the words immemorial, out of darkness comes light.

Islamophobia and racism are real and deadly. We must channel our grief and anger to ensure that no family, no community, ever has to face the horror we experienced in London.

To truly honour the Afzaal family, let us replace pain with purpose. Let us unite across party lines to ensure that no Ontarian has to fear being targeted for their faith, the colour of their skin or who they are. Let us strengthen our commitment to act through meaningful legislative change.

Speaker, love is greater than hate, and hate can be overcome.

June is here, which means the five-day Vaughan International Film Festival is fast approaching. Now in its 11th year, the Vaughan Film Festival, or VFF, offers public screenings, scholarships, industry events and panels to support experienced and aspiring filmmakers.

Lauren Pappas, Paolo Calzini and Daniel Fusco are students at St. Elizabeth Catholic school in Thornhill, whose films are featured at the VFF this year. Lauren’s film titled Influenced is about a teen influencer and the realities of that. Give Back, Paolo’s film, is a story about a young woman who helps out a friend in need. The VFF offers a platform for independent creators to share their short films and further excel within the industry, giving them an opportunity to reach over 20,000 people. Arts and culture events like the VFF enrich our lives and stimulate economic growth. And it would not be possible without artists like Lauren, Paolo and Daniel, who contribute to our community.

I want to thank the sponsors and the volunteers and the creative mind who started the project, Mr. Antonio Ienco.

I invite the extended community to come join us on June 19 at the VFF to celebrate filmmakers who bring the communities together and put Vaughan and Thornhill on the international stage.

During constituency week, I had the pleasure of visiting the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton as they hosted an open house for HATS, the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters. HATS is a not-for-profit organization working as part of the solution to the unhoused crisis in Hamilton. Their vision is to create a village of small, heated cabins to provide transitional housing and support services for residents living on the street. I had the chance to tour a charming tiny cabin and to meet so many devoted volunteers, such as Tom Cooper, the director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction; Kim Martin, the executive director of the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton; and Julie Shea, the director of Centre[3], an arts organization that created a fantastic 3D model of the HATS village.

HATS has already raised more than $300,000 and has support services lined up from various community partners. HATS has the funding, the resources and the partners in place. They are now working to find a site.

Thank you for your compassion and devotion to helping others in our community. Hats off to HATS.

And there was no place more beautiful to be this weekend than on the shores of Hamilton bay at the most westerly point of Lake Ontario. It was a pleasure to participate in the annual sail-past and to recognize the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club for achieving silver in the Clean Marine eco program. The Clean Marine eco program is an environmental program that encourages environmental practices associated with recreational boating across Ontario.

Congratulations once again to Cindy Brown, Susanne Broe-Vayda, Paul Vayda, and Ross Munro, chair, of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club environment committee.

To the member for Elgin–Middlesex–London: Yes, 12 years ago today, I was on Juno Beach with the 1st Hussars. Thanks for reminding me about that.

My statement today is important, as well. It’s celebrating the initiative of June 1, when we kicked off ALS day. The month of June is officially ALS Awareness Month in Canada. I’m proud to show my support today for the approximately 3,000 Canadians living with this devastating disease.

ALS is a relentlessly progressive, fatal motor neuron disease that eventually leads to the loss of the ability to move, speak and breathe. This disease can move with startling swiftness. Four out of five people die within two to five years of their diagnosis. The compounding impact on families emotionally, financially and psychologically is tremendous. The people and families affected by ALS measure time not by months or years but by loss—loss of function and loss of life.

As members of this Legislature, we have an opportunity throughout June to show our support for people living with ALS across Canada and demonstrate leadership on important health issues that affect this community.

I want to extend my best wishes to the Canadian ALS community for June ALS Awareness Month and acknowledge the tremendous work done by the ALS Society of Canada to change what it means to live with this unrelenting disease.

I encourage everyone to take the time to learn more about this devastating disease and how you can make a difference in the lives of people living with ALS. Learn more about ALS at www.als.ca.

Now is the time to work together towards a future without ALS.

I’m proud to rise in honour of a momentous upcoming milestone, and that’s the 50th anniversary of Fort William Historical Park. Over the past five decades, the park has become a cherished part of Thunder Bay’s identity—its significance resonating not only with the constituents of Thunder Bay, but with all Canadians who value the preservation of our collective heritage. The park is an example of our nation’s history, encapsulating the stories, struggles and triumphs of those who came before us, allowing us to learn from the past and shape a better future.

Elder Freda McDonald’s influence in 1976 led to substantial growth in the Indigenous Life Program and Anishinaabe Encampment, establishing accurate portrayals of Anishinaabe culture and the significance of women in the fur trade.

Beyond the cultural and educational significance, the park has made substantial economic contributions to our region and beyond. It is also important that we acknowledge and applaud the dedicated staff, volunteers and community partners who have played a pivotal role in ensuring that this landmark continues to thrive through their commitment to historical accuracy, authenticity and a memorable visitor experience.

Let us work together across party lines to ensure that landmarks like Fort William Historical Park remain a treasured source of education and celebration.

And I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Clerk for his service to Ontario and the members in this chamber and wish him all the best in his retirement.

It is my honour today to rise to salute all those who fell and served in the greatest invasion in history, on June 6, 1944, known to most as D-Day. One regiment, the 1st Hussars, was the only Allied formation to reach its objective on D-Day. Later on June 6, 2 Troop, C Squadron, led by Lieutenant William McCormick, reached the objective of the Caen-Bayeux highway before having to return to the Allied line of advance that was significantly behind their spearhead.

Mr. Speaker, I hope all of Ontario joins me in saluting the 1st Hussars and their garrison cities of London and Sarnia. We salute their service and sacrifice in one of the greatest battles in history.

I’d also like to recognize the MPP for Sarnia, Bob Bailey, who has attended these sacred sites in Normandy. Well done.

As the Supreme Allied Commander said on the eve of the invasion, “The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching toward victory!”

Let it be known here and evermore that victory’s ascent came from southwestern Ontario.

The 1st Hussars motto in Latin is “Hodie Non Cras,” or in English, “Today Not Tomorrow.”

God save the King.

I would like to welcome Pastor Ankur Narula and Pastor Sonia Narula, who are in the galleries today. They lead one of the largest churches in India, with many followers around the world, including many in Mississauga. I thank them for their service and welcome them to the House.

I also would like to welcome Pastor Nida Anwar Fazal and Pastor Anwar Fazal, who lead Eternal Life Ministries, one of the largest church ministries in Pakistan, and Isaac TV network. Thank you for serving the community. I welcome them in the Legislature. Thank you. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

This morning I’d like to welcome to the House Emerson Maxwell from OPSEU, who works at the Ontario Science Centre, and Jason Ash and Shakhlo Sharipova, both community leaders from my riding.

I want to join my friend from Toronto Centre in welcoming an inspiring group of clergy here who gave an incredible press conference. Thank you so much for being with us today.

Also, my friend Michael Wood, one of our small business leaders here and a champion for mental health in this province: Michael, good to see you here today too.

In the Speaker’s Gallery this morning, we have a very special guest, and that is Teresa Lohan. While most members will recognize her, all members are definitely familiar with her work, which allows our assembly proceedings to be broadcast each day.

Teresa graduated from Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University, in 1990 and has been working at the Legislature as part of the broadcast and recording service ever since, most recently as operations manager. She’s now set to retire after a remarkable career here at the assembly, which included navigating significant changes in the world of broadcasting and narrating the Legislature’s Canadian Screen Award nominated production entitled, Women Should Vote: A Short History of How Women Won the Franchise in Ontario.

Teresa, thank you so much for your dedication to serving Ontario’s Parliament as part of the broadcast and recording service, and we wish you all the best in your retirement starting this summer.

Applause.