Sri Varasiththi Vinaayagar Hindu Temple in Scarborough–Agincourt is an outstanding institution providing spiritual, educational and cultural guidance to many diverse generations of the Tamil and Hindu communities. Their 17th annual cultural day festivities were one such forum to showcase their work. The Sri Varasiththi Vinaayagar Hindu College students, aged four to 14, performed more than 20 cultural displays to celebrate Tamil culture and heritage. About 200 students participated in this day-long celebration. I commend the chief priest, the teachers, the clergy and the organizers for bringing together the community and passing the torch to the next generation. Scarborough–Agincourt is proud to host such a great organization.

A week later, I had the honour of participating in a sombre Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemoration to uphold the memory of the victims, pay tribute to the survivors and send a message to deniers that their efforts to negate the facts will not be successful. The most impressing aspect of the night was the visit to the genocide memorial wall—

My question is for the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. With over 300,000 jobs going unfilled daily, we are facing a historic shortage of workers in Ontario. In order to ensure that our economy is strong and resilient, we need more skilled workers to fill labour gaps in key sectors. We must welcome more workers who are best positioned to succeed in critical industries where there are significant labour shortages, including construction, health care and technology.

Our government must do everything we can to ensure that we have the workforce that is needed to help build Ontario. Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to strengthen Ontario’s workforce?

However, for some newcomers who have already settled in Ontario—and many of them settled in Scarborough–Agincourt—there are barriers that, unfortunately, prevent them from pursuing careers in fields that they are trained for and are eager to work in. Currently, only one in four immigrants is able to continue working in their professions when they come to Ontario. That is why our government needs to show leadership and remove obstacles that make it difficult for qualified individuals to apply for work. It costs our province billions in lost productivity when jobs remain unfilled.

Can the minister please explain how our government is eliminating barriers so that skilled immigrants can pursue employment in their professions?

Speaker, my question is for the Associate Minister of Transportation. My community is growing rapidly and they need more convenient ways to connect to their jobs, family, appointments and other communities in the GTA. Whether travelling by car or bus, traffic congestion and gridlock add frustration and unnecessary delays.

Even though our government is making historic investments into new transit infrastructure, Toronto’s north end still needs more transit options. The people of my community and across the GTA are looking to our government for solutions that will make transit easier and more convenient. Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government plans to increase the transit options in the GTA?

Interjection: Great question.

Transit upgrades and expansions are needed now to ensure frequent and convenient service for years to come. The previous Liberal government failed to plan for Ontario’s transit needs and failed to invest in building vital transit infrastructure. The investments and construction work that are currently under way to strengthen our province’s transit networks show that our government is getting it done for the people of Ontario. But more can and should be done to deliver on our commitment to these projects.

Speaker, can the associate minister please expand on how our government is making historic investments in building transit networks?