First of all, thank you for the question.

As the first peoples of these lands, as a First Nations person from these lands, I know that’s one of the first things that happened—governments took our land, and they took our children.

When you ask about Neskantaga First Nation, a community of 300 people—they have had a boil-water advisory for over 28 years, starting on February 1, 1995. There is no way this would be allowed in any other place in Ontario, anyplace in Canada. But it happens. That’s how colonialism works. That’s how oppression works. That’s how racism works. That’s how discrimination works. We live it on a daily basis. It has become a way of life, and it has detrimental impacts on the wellness and the health of children who live in these communities. Meegwetch.

We are at a time when we are again talking about trying to find our children. I know that incremental funding and incremental change further perpetuate the oppression, the colonialism, the crisis in our communities. I think it would be better if you started looking at the 94 calls to action and started investing resources behind those calls to action. I have lived it. I have seen the incremental funding. I have seen the incremental help that governments do, but it perpetuates the crisis in our communities. We’ve got to do it, full stop, where we will provide the full resources. Yes, I welcome that $25.1 million, but what’s the number on finding our children on former Indian residential school sites?

We have to understand that in the numbered treaties from 1 to 11, Treaty 9, where I come from, is the only treaty with the province’s signature on it. That’s Ontario. We are your treaty partners, not your stakeholders. Meegwetch.

March 31 marks the International Transgender Day of Visibility. This is a day to celebrate the achievements of transgender people and raise awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. This day encourages us to recognize that trans and non-binary individuals continue to resist oppression by simply being who we are.

Challenges, however, do exist. This is exactly why we are seeing a rampant rise of bigotry and violence against trans, non-binary and queer communities. Driven by irrational fear and destructive political gamesmanship, there are 431 pieces of legislation pending across America that target transgender people—those numbers are hard to get out, Speaker.

A week ago, the Ugandan Parliament passed anti-homosexual legislation that imprisons people for just identifying as 2SLGBTQ+. Some offences carry the death penalty. Such a hateful and violent law must be condemned by every parliamentarian in this House.

Here in Ontario, we have the opportunity to be a world leader on trans human rights, starting with improving access to health care this year, with my private member’s bill, the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act.

And don’t forget, this government could show its commitment to trans health care today by committing to restart the Connect-Clinic with an alternative funding plan so that everyone in Ontario, no matter how remote-access they are, has access to gender-affirming care.

To all my trans and non-binary community members in Ontario: The Ontario NDP sees you, supports you and values you today and every other day.