My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

As the MPP for Brantford–Brant, I have always been proud to champion participation in sport in the communities that I represent. Sports contributes to better health, community pride and a stronger economy.

However, I am deeply concerned to know that according to Ontario Soccer’s CEO, the province is losing referees at an alarming rate. This decline in numbers is due to the increasing prevalence of abuse toward referees. To address this serious situation, I understand that Ontario Soccer is launching a body camera pilot project for soccer referees. Can the minister please share his response to this initiative being introduced by Ontario Soccer?

Speaker, all Ontarians who participate in sport deserve to have a safe and supportive environment. Sadly, we are seeing young girls and boys being discouraged by a few irresponsible spectators who intimidate them with abusive yelling. Any form of harassment is unacceptable, and it must end.

Can the minister please share any insights he has gained from his experiences with sporting organizations and with participants?

Again, thanks for the question. This may sound strange—and I have been very fortunate to be on sidelines and behind benches in minor sport for a number of years, and I have some great friends as a result of participating in sport not because of the players and the parents, but because of the officials.

I was asked on April 1 on the football side of things to speak at their conference in Hamilton at Tim Hortons Field. There were 100-plus officials there, and they’re there to learn more and to get better. They’re there to get better, not because they want to become pro officials or umpires or referees, but because they want to make the game better. They want to give something back to their community.

So when we talk about the time they spent—afterwards I talked to their leadership group. I said, “What is the key problem for you now?” He said, “We’re losing people from age, but we’re also losing young people, especially because of the harassment they’re getting on the sidelines.”

Let me be clear, the culture of sport has to change, and we can all effect it in a positive way, because here’s the statement: Without officials, there are no games.