Earlier this week, we had dozens of families of children with autism here at Queen’s Park with the autism coalition, who brought stories of the struggles that they face every single day, and they wanted us to listen to those concerns.

Families have been stuck in the vicious cycle of dysfunction of the Ontario Autism Program for years. Parents wait for years to get an invitation, and then keep waiting for their assessment, and then they keep waiting for their funding to be released, and then they wait to access to the programs that the child actually needs. And then, when they find access to that program, sometimes their funding deadline finishes or it starts again. This is the vicious cycle that they go through every single day here in this province. This is the reality.

The program has set a target of registering 8,000—yes, 8,000—children into the program. But the reporting from Global News shows that we have only registered 888. If the program applications were to stop today and there were no new applications, we would need 66 years—66 years—to get through the program wait-list.

Speaker, I cannot even imagine the pain some of these parents are going through. Some of them come to my office, and the tears—I cannot tell you the horrible situations they are going through. I implore this government to take a hard look at the program, invest the funding that’s necessary and make this program—

Our government’s commitment under the leadership of the Premier and the Minister of Health to improve the quality of health care in Scarborough has begun to pay off. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking of the Northpine diagnostic imaging department at the Scarborough Health Network’s general hospital. The people of Scarborough have been waiting for 20 years for this state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging unit. I would like to commend the Scarborough Health Network team for this important achievement.

This is the first of many groundbreaking projects in Scarborough–Agincourt and Scarborough. Other health-related capital infrastructure projects, such as the brand new Birchmount Grace hospital and the Bridletowne dialysis centre, are in the various stages of the planning and approval process.

In addition to health infrastructure projects and the allocation of thousands of long-term-care beds, our government is backing the opening of the new Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus. This school will serve local communities in Scarborough by graduating physicians, nurses, PSWs, physical therapists and other life sciences professionals.

Scarborough is not the forgotten borough anymore. Scarborough is getting the attention it deserves.

Speaker, I want to talk about a topic that’s weighing on Ontarians’ minds, and that’s the public health care system. This government is making changes to decimate those services that people rely on.

I want to share an email I have received. This woman wanted to remain anonymous, so I can’t give her name. She says, “I got the quote $3,680 to do the cataract surgery in a private clinic. If I don’t want to pay, I have to wait for 15 months to get the appointment in St. Joseph’s Hospital. Where can I get help to find out other cities’ hospital waiting times for cataract surgery?”

Speaker, those operating rooms are there. They’re ready to take more people who need public health care for cataract surgeries. We need to fund those institutions that already have that infrastructure. Bringing a bill that’s going to further privatize our health care system is wrong. It won’t make a change to what people are requiring.

The NDP has given a suggestion, so I want to give those suggestions back to the government, so that they will consider those instead of further privatizing our health care: adequately fund hospitals, repeal Bill 124, expedite training and hiring international nurses, create more nurse practitioner-led family clinics. These are the things that are going to keep public health care public, and they’re going to have the quality of care that our constituents deserve and expect—not privatization of hospitals and public health care services.

Thank you very much.

About three weeks ago, the residents of Orléans were awoken by an enormous jolt. The walls and windows of their homes were shaking and, a few moments later, the near constant sound of emergency responders racing somewhere in the distance.

On February 13, a home under construction in a new subdivision exploded, and it destroyed four homes and damaged many more. The explosion could be felt for kilometres, and I’ve read that it was heard as far away as the village of Vars.

I’d like to thank the emergency responders in the city of Ottawa for their quick and decisive actions that morning. Two people were rescued from the rubble with serious injuries and several others were hospitalized, including children. Residents of nearly 30 households were displaced for several days. When you see the images of destruction, it’s hard to understand how nobody lost their life.

I’d like commend my city councillor, Catherine Kitts. She and her team were on site right away ensuring residents were being taken care of, that neighbours were being provided the information they needed to ensure that those displaced had somewhere to sleep and receive a hot meal.

There will be several important lessons to be learned from what happened: lessons for home builders in securing their sites, lessons for first responders, and lessons for this government and the lack of supports to help those who no longer have a home to move into.

I rise today to say that it’s an honour to represent the people of Ajax. This past weekend, my colleagues MPP McCarthy, MPP Coe, MPP Quinn, Minister Bethlenfalvy and I had the privilege of celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Durham Abilities Centre and its first Accessibility Awards, entitled “unlocking potential,” hosted at the Deer Creek banquet facility in Ajax. The Accessibility Awards is an event to recognize people creating change that reimagines how people with accessibility live, work and play.

I want to congratulate all the nominees and winners, but a special congratulations to Shanjay Kailayanathan, who was honoured with the Jim Flaherty award. This award is presented to a person who has shown leadership in a significant contribution toward the promotion, development, and advancement of accessibility and inclusion.

Shanjay was involved in a car accident at the age of 15 that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Rather than seeing this as a barrier, he pushed on to receive a degree in software engineering and found a company called Axcessiom Technologies, through which he developed a driver assistance program that uses facial recognition and voice recognition to activate distinct functions of vehicles, making driving easier and more accessible.

This remarkable young man is a true community champion and nephew of MPP Kanapathi. I would like to personally congratulate Shanjay on this award and your tremendous contribution to breaking down barriers.

I’m very, very proud to welcome Jana and Steve Lanys-Morris here. I don’t see them. They were sitting in the members’ gallery. Maybe their service dogs have taken them out for a bit. Those service dogs’ names are Maverick and Phoenix.

Welcome from St. Paul’s to Queen’s Park, your House.

It is my distinct honour to welcome Dhondup Wangchen to the Legislature today. He is a Tibetan filmmaker who became a political prisoner for six years for his documentary Leaving Fear Behind. He was named an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience and is the recipient of the International Press Freedom Award. Speaker, I worked on the campaign to free him, and I can’t believe he’s in the House today. Joining him is Youngdoung Tenzin, who is an executive member of the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre.

Yesterday, Speaker, we observed and celebrated the many accomplishments of women in this House and around the world.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention two women who had a profound influence on my life:

First, my mother: Widowed and left to raise six children on her own, the resilience, work ethic and kindness of my mother was what was instilled into me. I was the youngest of six siblings and was also probably the most challenging of all of my siblings. My biggest regret in life is that she passed away before I was first elected. I know that she was extremely proud of me and she continues to bless me from above.

The second influence in my life was my constituent and former Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. In 1998, when I hosted a national conference on spousal abuse, she spoke about the increase of people fleeing abusive situations and opened up yet another shelter in Mississauga. Since then, I’ve heard from women all over who said they would probably be dead if it wasn’t for those shelters—true leadership.

I’ve talked about the two most influential women who helped shape who I am, but now I’m fully influenced by my two granddaughters, Tara and Tia, ages four and two. To see the world through their eyes, to make decisions as a parliamentarian that not only affect us but to build homes, hospitals, highways and communities to make sure that our future generations—

Meegwetch, Speaker. Remarks in Oji-Cree. Good morning. It’s an honour to welcome people from Kiiwetinoong; specifically, from the Neskantaga First Nation: Chief-elect Chris Moonias, Daren Sakanee, and Sharon Sakanee.

Meegwetch for coming.

I am super excited today to welcome my niece Emma Welsh-Huggins to Queen’s Park. She’s sitting in the members’ gallery over here. She doesn’t want me to say this, but I’m going to brag about her. She was the digital director for Elizabeth Warren’s Iowa caucus campaign during the last presidential election.

As we are watching the news from the United States, we’re seeing the painful reversal of years of advances in civil rights. We can be thankful that that’s not the case here in Ontario, but we can never take for granted that basic human rights will not be trampled. We all must remain diligent.

I want to share with this House a poem that was written just after World War II—you may have heard it—by Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Speaker, earlier this week I had the pleasure of hosting a group of people from the Greater Napanee Pride committee. These are dedicated members or allies of the LGBT community, and they came here to show that, like everyone else, this is their House.

I’m forever grateful that in this House and in this government, all of our constituents are represented.

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and March 31 will be international trans recognition day. I ask all of the members of this House to celebrate our differences, to celebrate our diversity, with respect and humility.

I would like to congratulate Nolan Wu, who has served in the House as a page. I didn’t get a chance to meet him until today. I wish him well in the experience that he has at the Legislature, and I hope to see him at noon today.

I would like to welcome several members of my staff in the constituency office, as well as a number of women who are leaders in the community in Don Valley West: Julie, Sheila, Lita, Shakhlo, Barb, Jennifer, Najia, Marilynn, Ombobola, Judie, Kamrana, Shazia, Fatma, as well as my mom, Barb, and my daughter, Maddi—here today for a very special gathering to talk about the stories of these women. Some of them are just new from Nigeria. They’re studying at Seneca College, volunteering in my constituency office. They’re lawyers in their home country, and we want them to do well here. I want everyone to welcome them warmly.

There’s a birthday visiting today, and that birthday landed on the shoulder of my fabulous parliamentary assistant and the member for Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Happy birthday.

We’re proud of our efforts to build consensus around a number of resource projects across northern Ontario. Take, for example, the Côté Gold project, where Mattagami and Flying Post First Nations play a substantial role in the development of that area, including very much the mine itself. In Greenstone, we see an extraordinary opportunity with the Kenogamisis development corporation, comprised of four Indigenous communities that have come to us and asked to play a vital role in the development of Greenstone and the surrounding area and the mining project. Similarly, the corridor to prosperity is an opportunity for all Indigenous communities in that area to unleash new health and social and economic benefits, to bring in better forms of energy, stronger broadband, better critical infrastructure.

This is a massive northern development opportunity. We’ll build consensus with those communities, and we’ll look forward to an opportunity to build the critical mineral mine of a world-class scale.

As somebody who has lived in a couple of those communities and worked closely with the leadership of some of those communities over the years—there is growing consensus that we can do these projects, that we can strike a fair balance, that we can build consensus and meet the demands of the single biggest environmental policy ever advanced by a subsovereign government, and that is to bring critical minerals from that region and other parts of northern Ontario into a fully integrated supply chain for electric vehicles and battery capacity. I’ve heard it from Indigenous communities. I’ve heard it from Indigenous businesses. The Minister of Mines has been working very hard to ensure that we do this the right way, and we’re going to get it done.

Speaker, the people of Neskantaga have not given Ontario consent to build a mining road on its traditional and Treaty land. Chief Wayne Moonias said nothing will go through the territory without the free, prior, informed consent of the people. He said a couple of days ago, “You’re not going to cross our river system without our free and prior informed consent, you’re going to have to kill us....” Those were his words.

To the Premier: What is the government doing to uphold the law, follow its Treaty 9 obligations and obtain consent of all First Nations impacted by the northern road link?

This government is fast-tracking mining approval processes by removing environmental safeguards like requiring completed mine closure plans in Bill 71.

My question to the Premier: How will taking away requirements to approve mining closure plans protect Indigenous and treaty rights in the Ring of Fire?

Speaker, what—

This is a textbook play right out of the colonial playbook, where governments divide and conquer First Nations. We live it every day.

How will you ensure all First Nations are on board?

Interjections.

Thank you for the question from the member opposite.

This is a bill about building mines. It’s about bringing prosperity to northern Ontario. It’s a bill about securing the supply chain for critical minerals so that, in fact, the critical minerals that are produced in northern Ontario will be matched with the mining might in southern Ontario. These minerals, right now, are being secured in Russia and China and Congo, and we need those minerals secured in Ontario, out of northern Ontario. There is no compromise with the Indigenous duty to consult. There is no compromise with Ontario’s environmental standards. This is a world-class bill that will benefit every single citizen in Ontario.

Thank you very much for the question.

The members opposite in the opposition are trying to sow fear—fearmongering, really—about things like this.

This government’s record speaks for itself. We’ve invested an additional $14 billion in our health care system since 2018. That is almost a 30% increase, since 2018, in our health care funding. We’ve added more beds in four years than the previous Liberal government, supported by the opposition, did in 14. We’ve launched the largest health care recruitment initiative in Ontario’s history. And we’ll continue to make necessary improvements to make sure that Ontarians get the care they expect and deserve.