I would like to welcome my friend, Mr. Amir Shamsi, chairman of Universal Promotions and founder of Mississauga Halal Food Festival, which marks its 10-year anniversary this year. This year’s Halal Food Festival will be held on June 16 and 17 at Celebration Square in Mississauga. I welcome everyone there.

I’d like to welcome Stephanie Ramsay and her son Lukasz Ramsay. Stephanie’s daughter, Lauren, is an usher here in the Leg.

I’d like to welcome Momina Malik, Quinn LeFort, Soobin Sung and Joubin Seyrafian. They are the four newest members of the Ontario Liberal summer internship program.

I’d like to welcome Jaide Kassam, our ministry intern and a student at Carleton University, and as tough as it is for me to say this: Go, Ravens!

I’d like to welcome three friends to the House: Kenneth Kranendonk and retiring cadets Benny Liverance-Edwards and Nic VanNiewenhuizen.

Welcome to your House.

I’d like to welcome my good friend Chantal McCollum to Queen’s Park.

I’d like to introduce my wonderful constituency staff who are with me here today: Joanne Beatty, my constituency manager; Jennie Yeung; Matthew Fieg, Daniel Goutevets, James Madore—all three of whom are my full-time summer intern students; as well as Téah U-Ming, my OLIP intern who’s with me for only a couple more weeks. I just want to thank them for all they do to support me. Welcome to the Legislature.

I’d like to welcome to the House Patrick and Laura Porzuczek from Save the Minden ER; Ashley Fox, a registered practical nurse and member of the Guelph-Wellington health coalition; Hazel Pratt-Paige, a member of the Chesley hospital support group; and Brenda Scott, a fellow member of the Chesley hospital support group and with the Grey Bruce Health Coalition.

Welcome to your House.

It is my pleasure to welcome Dua Boztas and Mévlutte Boztas. They are the parents of my incredible OLIP intern, Esma Boztas, who I want to thank for her hard work.

In September 2021, I was pleased to announce a $100,000 Community Building Fund grant for the Barrie Trojan Swim Club. The grant was used to help the club with staff salaries to support success through and beyond a pandemic rebuild. Funds from the grant also contributed directly towards the club’s ability to continue offering quality programming for local athletes.

Not only did this grant help secure job opportunities as well as improve the mental and physical health of people of all ages in Barrie, but it also has led to a personal best for the team. The Barrie Trojan Swim Club had five swimmers participate at the 2023 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, which set an impressive record for the club. The Barrie Trojan Swim Club athletes did fantastic, and as a result of their performances, two of their swimmers and the head coach have been named to represent Canada at upcoming international events. Laila Oravsky has been named to the Pan American Games team that will compete in Chile in October. Jordi Vilchez and Endi Babi, head coach, will be part of the Canadian team competing at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships taking place in Israel this September. I want to congratulate them on their grit and their stamina and wish Laila, Jordi and coach Endi the best of luck as they take on the global stage.

Through your sportsmanship, you inspire a whole community and a generation of future athletes in swimming. Keep swimming, Barrie Trojans. Congratulations.

I’m very pleased to inform the House that we have a former member in the House with us today, the representative for Essex in the 40th, 41st and 42nd Parliaments. Taras Natyshak is here.

Welcome back.

Also with us today in the Speaker’s gallery are some very special guests: Mr. David Warner, who was the Speaker of the 35th Parliament, accompanied by his wife, Pat, and Mr. Alvin Curling, who was Speaker during the 38th Parliament.

I also want to welcome the guests of Mr. Claude DesRosiers: Suzanne Labbé; his sons, Louis and Jean DesRosiers; his daughter, Lucie DesRosiers; his son-in-law, Sean Taylor; and his granddaughter Lily Taylor.

And the guests of Ms. Deborah Deller are her husband, Garry Deller; and Denise Weeks, who was the former Principal Clerk of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Finally, a warm welcome back to former staff of the Office of the Assembly: Zina Decker, former executive assistant to Mr. DesRosiers and Ms. Deller; Sylvia Nemanic, former executive director, administrative services; and Vicki Whitmell, former executive director, information and technology services, and legislative librarian.

Please join me in welcoming our guests to the Legislature today.

The member for Hamilton Mountain.

This morning, I’d like to welcome a very good friend of mine Gianrobert Santagato. It’s the first time that he has coming to the Legislature.

I’d also like to welcome a delegation that’s here at Queen’s Park this morning from Lazio, Italy—over 20 of them are here. I especially would like to welcome Luca Di Stefano, the mayor of Sora, and Fiorella Gazzellone, the mayor of Terelle.

Remarks in Italian.

I want to give a quick shout-out to Alessia Iafano who is with us today, a Queen’s University student and one of the leaders of the Ontario PC youth association. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

We also have another former member with us this morning: the member for Thornhill from the 38th Parliament, Mario Racco. Welcome back. It’s good to have you here.

That concludes our introduction of visitors.

Applause.

The government House leader.

Whereas in the year 2022, the assembly has amended the Legislative Assembly Act to authorize the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks of the Assembly the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable,” and

Whereas the government of Ontario desires to honour Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers and recognize his lifetime of public service, including service to the people of Ontario as Clerk of its Legislative Assembly from 1986 until 2006, and

Therefore, pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act, Claude L. DesRosiers of Ottawa is hereby granted the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable” or “l’honorable” effective the later of June 7, 2023, and the date this order in council is made.

And on the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario, orders that:

Whereas in the year 2022, the assembly has amended the Legislative Assembly Act to authorize the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks of the Assembly the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable”; and

Whereas the government of Ontario desires to honour Ms. Deborah Deller and to recognize her lifetime of public service, including service to the people of Ontario as Clerk of its Legislative Assembly from 2007 until 2016;

Therefore, pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act, Deborah Deller of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is hereby granted the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable,” effective the later of June 7, 2023 and the date that this order in council is made.

And both of these documents are signed by the Premier of Ontario and the Chair of the Cabinet, as well as the Administrator.

Today, we welcome in our midst two very dear friends who, while serving as Clerk, were keystones in the arch of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. May I say how delighted we are to have them back with us today. Members and invited guests, please welcome Claude DesRosiers, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly from 1986 to 2006, and Deborah Deller, our Clerk from 2007 to 2016.

Applause.

It is an honour that is truly well deserved. It is safe to say that all members have some idea of the complexities and challenges facing a Clerk, but only the very few who have actually sat in that chair really know. The Clerk is responsible not only to provide procedural advice in our historic Parliament to over 100 individuals with many differing opinions and points of view but also to administer the offices and provide leadership to the staff to help to keep things running smoothly and operational for the members, the media and the public alike. It is a job like no other.

Clerks must be absolutely, resolutely and categorically neutral. They are constantly challenged with problems which require decisions that uphold the overall best interests of the Legislature and those who serve here, whether based on parliamentary procedure and precedent or, as the situation warrants, based on in-depth knowledge and immediate recall of the standing orders about the rules of this place.

Many of us wonder, when things get heated here, how a Clerk or a table Clerk can maintain their composure and not give any sense of reaction to surrounding circumstances. When this place is erupting, how do they maintain their unfazed composure? How do they stay so calm? What is in their water?

It is because of these qualities, along with the outstanding service that the Clerk is expected to achieve, that the title “Honourable” is so fitting. And it’s worth noting that this honour is rare. Thus far, only eight people, including the current Clerk, have served in the role permanently since Ontario’s founding in 1867—an untold number of members since 1867 and just eight Clerks during that same period.

As I’ve mentioned, our modern-era Clerks have also had the responsibility of being the chief administrative officer of the assembly. For more than a century after Confederation, the government appointed the five Clerks who served here. Claude DesRosiers was the first Clerk selected by the Legislature. Claude, you were the Clerk who began the modernization of the House and, in turn, the evolution of our current organization. You were also the Clerk who welcomed me when I first arrived here as a member in 1990 and the Clerk who witnessed by first oath of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.

Claude came to us from the House of Commons in Ottawa with extraordinary expertise and knowledge of parliamentary procedure, thanks to his experience at our federal Parliament. There, Claude served in a variety of positions, many in a capacity supporting francophone activities—something that proved very advantageous here, especially with respect to interparliamentary and diplomatic activities.

With his love of history and heritage buildings, our setting at Queen’s Park turned out to be the perfect workplace for someone with Claude’s background and interests. During his time in office, our building celebrated its 100th anniversary and underwent a restoration that saw the replacement and refurbishment of original materials and the uncovering of long-hidden features that had been hidden for decades. This chamber was also transformed from the blue chairs and red carpet—colours that occasionally clashed, literally and figuratively—to the green that you see today, bringing us in line with Westminster tradition.

The sense of the significance of this place also resonated for Claude when he met new Assembly staff during orientation sessions. He enjoyed pointing out his office window and comparing Toronto’s modern skyline with the longevity of Parliament. He would explain that styles could change and those buildings could come and go, but that this one would still be here. Democracy would always prevail and Parliament would always endure.

This building is a symbol of democracy, which is surely our most precious legacy passed on to us by previous generations. Claude’s career helped to sustain it and strengthen it. Thank you again, Claude.

And to Deb Deller, along with Claude, you were another warm and welcoming face at this table when I first arrived here. Deb, we owe you the same depth of gratitude for your advice over the years. How reassuring it was, knowing that you had been seated next to Claude at the table for a considerable period of time before you became Clerk.

You’ve told a lot of people about how you got your first job in this place. It seems that while you were in university you applied to be a tour guide here, and along with your suitability for the job it also turned out that you were the perfect fit for the uniform of the guide who had just vacated the position. That made your selection that much easier, proving the old adage “if the suit fits” to be true.

Even as a tour guide, Deb always had a passion for learning about the workings of our Legislature and took a strong interest in procedural processes, sitting in on meetings of the House and committees when she could to become more familiar with how things work here when she returned to the Legislature to serve as a guide following university.

Deb then gained a position as a Legislative Attendant, reporting to the Clerk’s office. From there, her next steps included positions as Committee Clerk, Clerk Assistant, Deputy Clerk and Director of Legislative Services. Finally, on March 21, 2007, she became the first female to be Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

During her time in this role, Deb built on Claude’s strong foundation of modernizing and improving the Legislature. Among her projects were the introduction of a new Legislative Assembly website, as well as improved internal communications initiatives and technology services for members and staff, including a redesigned intranet. Better orientation services for new members, as well as enhanced training and skills development opportunities for staff, were also among her initiatives.

Thank you again, Deb, not only for being a great mentor and support to so many of us here, but also an inspiration to young women from across this province to make sure, as I quote in your own words, “they don’t feel there’s any barrier to doing something just because women haven’t done it before.”

In closing, thanks to both of you for devoting your professional lives to the functioning of our Ontario Parliament and the service of the people of this province.

Applause.

Speaker, may it please the House, Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario and in the name of His Majesty the King, has made orders pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act. These orders grant Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers and Ms. Deborah Deller, presently before the House, the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable” as former Clerks of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I am pleased to lay copies of these orders upon the table.

I’m delighted to welcome leaders in our Filipino community in York Centre: Teresa Torralba and her husband Ramon Torralba; retired Toronto police sergeant Philip Mendoza and his wife Maritonne; and a special welcome to Nathan Cortes, son of the Philippine undersecretary of foreign affairs Paul Cortes, who is a student right here at Toronto Metropolitan University. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature.

I’m pleased to welcome to Queen’s Park today, on behalf of the member from Sarnia–Lambton, former legislative page Annabelle Rayson who is here with her parents.

And I, too, want to welcome former Ontario Speaker David Warner to the Legislature. He was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when I was a legislative page back in 1991. Welcome back to Queen’s Park.

I will now invite the Honourable Claude DesRosiers and the Honourable Deb Deller to take their seats once again at the table.

It is now time for oral questions.

The Premier can reply.

This question is for the Premier. Speaker, I think I speak for all of us here when I say that our thoughts, again, are with the people and communities that are directly impacted by the forest fires that are blazing across this province, and also with, of course, the courageous firefighters, pilots and local teams working to get them under control.

While that work is under way, millions of people across Ontario are experiencing the impacts to air quality. We are in for probably the most severe fire season our province has ever experienced, and people are quite rightly worried for their immediate future and whether this is the new reality. Does the Premier acknowledge that the climate emergency is making this fire season significantly worse?

Yesterday the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry refused to acknowledge a connection between the climate crisis and these forest fires, all while this government is doubling down on costly and carbon-intensive gas-fired power. They’re doubling down on sprawl, they failed to deliver badly needed transit, and the Conservatives also, let’s not forget, weakened their own climate targets.

I want to ask the Premier: Will the Premier show some leadership today and act on the climate emergency?

Speaker, with the very real impacts of climate change being felt by millions of Ontarians today, will the Premier reverse course on his plans to pave over the province’s largest carbon sink, the greenbelt?

Interjections.

I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by thanking all the firefighters and crews working around the clock to keep our community safe. They’re literally the best in the world. Again, I want them to know that I’m sure all of us, of all political stripes, have their backs 100%.

I know that many towns and cities across our province are being impacted by smoke, not just Ontario but smoke coming from other provinces. We’re seeing this right across the country, unfortunately. This is having a major impact on many residents in these areas, particularly in the Ottawa area and in northern Ontario. It’s hurting those who are already at risk, like our young people and our seniors.

While it’s taking place right now, I want them to know that our own fire ranger crews, helicopters and water bombers are responding in full force to manage the fires.

We’re taking steps to make sure we’re prepared. Since 2017, we’ve increased spending on emergency fire preparedness by more than 37%. We have 142 fire ranger crews, which are the best in the world, ready to go right across our province, and we have a fleet of 28 aircraft that fight these fires, including nine heavy water bombers.

My number one goal is to make sure the communities and the people are safe here in Ontario. We will spare no expense to make sure that we support our firefighters and our communities.

Let me tell you the report that I’ve heard. The report that I have heard: Approximately 50% of the fires are started by lightning strikes; the other 50% are people starting campfires and not putting out the campfires properly.

So I’m asking every Ontarian: Please do not light any campfires.

All the firefighters are out there fighting against these wildfires. And yes, they happen every single year. Similar to the floods, the wildfires start every single year.

We will throw every resource we can to make sure we put these fires out.

Interjections.