Thank you to the member for that question. I value his friendship, mentorship and leadership. And most of all, he has been a true champion and strong voice for the north. He spoke to me of visiting fly-in communities in the north, and it’s in that spirit that I recently visited the north and the beautiful community of Elliot Lake. I cannot thank my hosts enough for the incredible, warm welcome that they extended to me. It’s true, Mr. Speaker, that northern Ontario hospitality is second to none. And they’re glad that in these members from the north, they now have a government that’s listening and championing their needs.

Ontario has signed a historic co-partnership agreement with the Mississagi Park Foundation, who will maintain and operate Mississagi Provincial Park. Under this agreement, parks operation will be shared between Serpent River First Nation, led by Chief Brent; Mississauga First Nation, led by Chief Bob; and the municipality of Elliot Lake, led by Mayor Andrew. I had the opportunity to sit down with all of them, and there are so many more—

And sometimes you just have to listen, so I was honoured to have the opportunity to learn from those Indigenous leaders, to learn from that municipality, who have signed a historic agreement.

We’re getting the job done—

Interjection.

This is a win for all residents of Elliot Lake, especially Serpent River and Mississauga First Nations, and most importantly, for all Ontarians, for our next generations who are going to learn from the Indigenous teachings and participate in the great outdoors for generations to come.

Speaker, I thank the minister for his response. It’s great to see all that enthusiasm working on behalf of the people of northern Ontario.

It’s so encouraging to hear that our government is correcting the mistakes that were made by the previous Liberal government when it comes to supporting our park system. Under their leadership, Mississagi park was one of the parks that was slated for closure. This park remains open today thanks to the leadership and the advocacy of our strong municipal partners and Indigenous communities.

As a government, we must continue to support and respect our northern community partners and protect our northern park system and environment.

Can the minister please elaborate on how this new agreement will ensure that Mississagi park continues to thrive for many, many more years to come?