I want to welcome the family of David to Queen’s Park. When I was first elected in 2007, I became the critic for the Ministry of Health. Soon after—in June 2008, I think—David became the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. I knew his mother and had a lot of respect for what Minister Caplan had done before, so I was looking forward to working with her son. David did not disappoint. From the first time I went and introduced myself, he greeted me with respect. He greeted me with a huge smile and said, “I’m new on the job.” He had just been named Minister of Health. He was going to learn the file, but if there was anything he could do to help, he was always willing to talk, always willing to listen.

He wanted to make a difference. He would talk about his sons, Benjamin and Jacob, who were quite small 15 years ago, but he wanted to make Ontario a better place for all of us and for them. They were always there at the front of what he was trying to do.

I introduced my first private member’s bill while he was Minister of Health. I introduced it on November 5, second reading November 27, third reading December 4, and royal assent on December 10. Not too many private members’ bills go forward. It was a private member’s bill—I printed it just for fun.

The number is Bill 124, but not the Bill 124 we all know. This one, nobody knows about it. It’s called An Act to amend the Smoke-Free Ontario Act with respect to cigarillos.

David understood health promotion and disease prevention. He loved the topic. He knew that if Ontario was to make a difference in health promotion and disease prevention, it would not only help the people of Ontario; it would also help the health care system, and this is why he agreed for my first private member’s bill to carry forward and become the law in Ontario. We were the first to ban flavoured cigarillos. Cigarillos were really cheap little cigarettes that were marketed mainly to kids. They came in flavours like strawberry shortcake and chocolate, and they really, really, targeted the kids with those products. David understood that and agreed to pass the bill.

There’s something else: I got to ask him a ton of questions, being health critic. He was Minister of Health during his time as minister. I want to read one of his answers and I’ll put it in perspective.

He’s answering to me: “I know that Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has had the chance to connect with the member opposite, has in fact chatted with the member and answered her questions related to the protocols between medical officers of health, public health units....” I’m putting that forward because he always made the resources of the Ministry of Health available to the opposition. That’s not something that I’ve had the pleasure of having with other Ministers of Health that came after him, but David always did. If we wanted more information, if I wanted a briefing, if I wanted a more in-depth discussion about anything, he was always open, and I truly thank him for that.

I also thanked him—he invited me and hundreds of other people to a huge conference in July 2009, when he was Minister of Health, and organized the biggest conference on mental health and addiction. I want to put you back in 2009: The stigma against mental health and addiction that is still alive today was way worse in 2009, but David, as the minister, had the confidence to take that on.

He helped address stigma right on. He gave people with lived experience an opportunity to be heard. I would say that this conference—it was huge, I forgot how many hundreds of people. We had never had anything like that in Ontario before. It was something that David really believed in; we needed to change the way mental health and addiction was being supported in Ontario, and he did that. He did that very well. I would say a lot of things in mental health and addiction changed for the better after he organized this huge conference.

I could go on and on to share some personal experience with David. I want you to know that I was as shocked and saddened as anybody else when I heard of his passing. He will be remembered for a lot of good work that he has done in this Legislature. He left way too early, but he did a good job when he was there. He was a friend, and I miss him.

On November 18, 1993, the Honourable Elinor Caplan, who was then the Member of Provincial Parliament for Oriole, rose in this very chamber to speak in support of 10 statutory holidays in Ontario. In her remarks, she quoted a report which recommended that one day in February should be set aside every year to become known as Family Day. Fourteen years later, her son, a minister in the cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty, would sit in this very same Legislature and help to pass the legislation which would make that Family Day in February a reality. It couldn’t be a more fitting metaphor for what he, his mother and all of his relatives stood for: family.

On Family Day of this year, I was overwhelmed by an outpouring of support from friends, relatives and colleagues about the remarkable man who David Richard Caplan was. David Caplan served as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Oriole and later Don Valley East between 1997 and 2011. During this time, he distinguished himself as a singularly competent politician who was entirely devoted to his riding and this province. Of his constituency office, for example, it has been noted that it was perennially busy and that David took particular pride in ensuring that the people in his riding had their issues addressed quickly and completely.

Multiple people, including John Sewell, Martin Regg Cohn, Andy Stein and Michael Coteau—the MPP who would follow him in Don Valley East—have told me that one of David’s greatest qualities was his ability and desire to connect with people who had diverse perspectives. “It would be a pretty boring place if everyone believed the same thing that I do,” David used to say.

Perhaps it is because of this humility and devotion to service that David was assigned some of the most challenging positions in the cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty. He was chosen as the inaugural minister in the newly formed Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal, tasked with a multi-billion dollar budget to rebuild Ontario’s crumbling roads, hospitals, courts and other essential infrastructure. In this capacity, he was innovative and audacious. For example, he envisioned a plan to stop suburban sprawl and protect green spaces and farmland while promoting economic growth and housing, a plan so bold that it would require cajoling developers, municipalities, environmentalists and even the late Hazel McCallion to all take important steps that would make this possible.

This award-winning plan, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, was enacted in 2006 and worked hand in hand with forming and preserving our province’s greenbelt. He also developed ReNew Ontario, a $30-billion plan for critical public infrastructure development that would be the first long-term capital-investment plan in this province’s entire history.

How could one man so quickly make such an impact? Premier Dalton McGuinty wrote to me and helped me understand: “David was one of the most naturally gifted politicians with whom I’ve ever had the honour to work. He had exceptional political instincts which served him well on the hustings, in the House and at the cabinet table. David loved the game. He was all in, but it was much more than just a game for him. David Caplan was determined to make a difference. Lucky for Ontario, he left his permanent mark on our province.”

But in all of this, it would be a disservice to speak only to David’s political accomplishments. Indeed, his greatest source of pride was his family and, if I am to be precise, his boys in particular. Speaking with those who know him, it is clear just how much he had to be proud of. His mother is, as you heard, none other than the Honourable Elinor Caplan, a distinguished MPP, MP and federal cabinet minister. She joins us today.

Theirs was a political family in which David had the honour of serving in the same riding that his mother had represented. In his campaigns, she drove the sign truck. His father was the CFO, and the boys, Jacob and Ben Caplan, were never left behind.

Jacob and Ben’s father was the kind of man who would step out of a speaking engagement to take their phone calls, even as minister; who would take the time out of his busy schedule to travel all the way to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, to support Ben at the national Special Olympics floor hockey tournament—and then, mind you, volunteer to be a commentator and impress everyone by his mastery of the names and numbers.

As favourite moments, Jacob recalls a daily ritual of bacon and eggs for breakfast presented by his father and nights at the family cottage staring at stars with telescopes. Ben recalls a trip to Cleveland to visit the football and rock and roll halls of fame.

His wife, Leigh, who he knew since they first crossed paths in grade 13, shared with me that he always made time to phone everyone in his family, many times on a near-daily basis.

Family was also a vehicle for him to indulge in some of his personal passions. David loved games, especially strategy games. Few people will know that he was a world-class bridge player who loved to play with his beloved brother Mark.

Additionally, he loved food—all kinds, but Chinese in particular—so much so that, to this day, his international family continues to commemorate his life annually on his birthday with a celebration called “dine with Dave,” in which they enjoy some of his favourite foods, no matter where they are in the world, and share photos with each other. That’s what family meant to him.

When I spoke to the interim Liberal leader, John Fraser, about David, he gave me a perspective that really speaks to why we are all here today. He said, “I simply would like to thank David’s family for sharing him with us. Warm, funny and authentic, he was steadfastly dedicated to serving his community and our province.”

And that’s why we are all here today—friends, family, colleagues and that grateful province—to honour a man who was kind, compassionate, hard-working and selfless in his pursuit of a better government and a better Ontario. We mourn and remember him today. Thank you.

Applause.

The member for Don Valley East.

I wish to thank the family members and the numerous friends and distinguished guests who have joined us today as we remember Mr. David Caplan. I apologize if I mispronounced his name before. Thank you for being here, and enjoy the rest of your day.

Today we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Ms. Marietta L.D. Roberts, who was the MPP for Elgin during the 34th Parliament.

Joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Ms. Roberts’s family and friends: her nieces, Emily Glover, Elena Roberts and Laurie Little; her nephews-in-law, Mike Harder, Adam Glover and Scott Jesney; her great-nieces and -nephews, Hayden Harder, Victoria Jesney and Matthew Jesney; and her family friend Darcelle Hall. Also in the Speaker’s gallery is Lauren Scully, representing Marietta’s friends and colleagues at the Ontario Court of Justice, the Office of the Chief Justice and the justice of the peace bench. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The member for Elgin–Middlesex–London.

Thank you, Speaker. I rise in the House today disappointed I never met or got to know Marietta Roberts.

I spoke with former Premier David Peterson about his colleague Marietta, and he had this to say: “Marietta lit up every room she entered with her big personality”—and if he said it once, he said it four times. “She was a great MPP, lawyer and judge, and across every party line, everyone enjoyed her company.”

Paying tribute to a former member of this esteemed Legislature is both an honour and an important task, as we must always remember those who fulfilled their public duty to serve constituents, the province and our country.

Marietta Roberts was not only the first woman to be elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Elgin county, but started school—get this—at the incredible age of two. And I confirmed the story just a few minutes ago. Why, might you ask? Her mother was a teacher, and she didn’t want her daughter staying at home on the farm learning “bad words,” so she brought her two-year-old into class. She graduated quite early, and you will hear a little bit more as I go along.

Obviously, her education path became a defining journey in her youth. Ms. Roberts attended the University of Western Ontario, majoring in history, and graduated at the tender age of 20. After a brief teaching career, she was accepted into law school at Dalhousie, with her main interest being family law and civil law.

Born and raised a farm girl, Marietta never lost her love for the land and for animals. Music and performance art also played an important role in her life, as did travel, both domestically and trips abroad.

While practising law in St. Thomas, Marietta got the political bug, becoming very involved in the local Liberal Party. From 1972 to 1978, she served on the Yarmouth school board and subsequently was elected chair of the Elgin county public school board. She ran federally in 1974 and provincially 1975, and while not successful in these two political endeavours, she remained active working as a lawyer and on her family farm.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ms. Roberts helped form the Elgin Women’s Law Association that served as a network for women lawyers in Elgin and Middlesex counties. From 1987 to 1990, Marietta Roberts served as the MPP for Elgin. At Queen’s Park, Ms. Roberts served as the first woman to be elected to the Chair of the Committee of the Whole House and elected chair of caucus for the Liberal provincial government. During her time in Toronto, she was also vice-chair of the constitutional committee that worked diligently on the Meech Lake Accord.

Current MP from Elgin-Middlesex-London, Karen Vecchio, told me, “The relationship between the Roberts and Martyn families”—Karen’s maiden name is Martyn—“runs generations deep.” In fact, their farms back on to one another. “Marietta had numerous friends and treated all with respect and fairness,” a consistent theme that I’m hearing as I learn more about this wonderful lady.

After politics in 1991, Ms. Roberts became the first woman from Elgin county appointed as an Ontario Court of Justice judge, and was later appointed Associate Chief Justice for Ontario.

According to Steve Peters, former Liberal MPP for Elgin–Middlesex–London, a minister and former Speaker of this Legislature, “The Liberals were in the wilderness in Elgin for 42 years. When Marietta won in 1987, the campaign team was so excited”—how about this—“they held an old style ‘torch light’ parade with burning brooms that began on Talbot Street in St. Thomas to celebrate.” I’ll admit I would like to have been there to see that.

Mr. Peters continued with her deep appreciation of history. She and a local group, including Steve Peters, worked to secure and preserve the historic Thomas Talbot estate, even convincing then Premier Peterson of the merits.

One evening, he said “I was driving with her to a meeting on the property and Marietta was driving, and she was known to have a bit of a heavy foot.” And I confirmed this with Minister Clark, that ministers today—but back then, MPPs—had the bumblebee sticker on their licence plates signifying that you were a public servant. She got pulled over. The officer approached, paused and noticed the bumblebee sticker on the licence plates, and then came to the window and said, “Slow down, ma’am.” She replied, “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir”—no ticket. As Steve says, “I can imagine the smiles on our faces still as we drove down the road. We know we got away with one.”

In conclusion, Speaker, I understand her family and friends, many of whom are up in the gallery today, are gathered here in the Legislature and are at home watching this tribute and later this evening a celebration of life for a life well lived will be also conducted.

I wish I had known Marietta Roberts because I believe, had I known her, we would have become fast friends.

Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance of the late Ms. Marietta L.D. Roberts, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government, five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition and five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group.

It’s an honour to rise today on behalf of the official opposition to pay tribute to Marietta Roberts, a trailblazer with a very big heart.

I want to begin by welcoming her family and friends to the Legislature: her nieces and nephews, Emily Glover, Elena Roberts, Laurie Little, Adam Glover, Mike Harder and Scott Jesney; her great nieces and nephews Hayden Harder, Matthew Jesney and Victoria Jesney; her friend Darcelle Hall; and Lauren Scully, representing the Ontario Court of Justice, the Office of the Chief Justice, and the justice of the peace bench.

I’d also like to acknowledge the family and friends who are watching us from St. Thomas today.

Family and friends were very important to Marietta. She loved spending time with you, so thank you for all the time that you sacrificed with your loved one while Marietta was engaged in the long and honourable career of public service.

Marietta Roberts was born and raised on a family farm in Yarmouth township, Elgin county, but while she helped out on the family farm as a child, there was a different path ahead for Marietta. She attended the University of Western Ontario and the Ontario teachers’ college, teaching at Alma College for three years before turning her attention to law and politics in 1971.

It’s easy now to forget just how unusual these career choices were in 1971 and just how different things were for women in this field.

In 1971, fewer than 10 women had ever been elected to the Ontario Legislature. The first female cabinet minister wouldn’t be named until 1972, and in 1972, only 5% of all lawyers practising in Ontario were women. Forty per cent of Toronto law firms that year freely admitted they were prejudiced towards women applying for articling positions.

But Marietta didn’t just enter a difficult field for women; she blazed trails everywhere she turned, serving as the acting crown attorney for Elgin county, as one of the founding members of the Ontario child representation office and as chair of the Elgin County Board of Education.

She ran in two elections: the federal election of 1974 and the provincial election of 1975. Two defeats didn’t hold Marietta back. She went on to make history as the first woman ever elected to represent Elgin county in the Ontario Legislature, defeating the dean of the Legislature in 1987.

Marietta didn’t stop there either. She became the first-ever woman elected to be the Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole House in Ontario. She was also chair of the Liberal caucus. In her parliamentary work she was recognized by former Premier David Peterson as “wonderful at everything.” She was magnetic. She had the biggest heart and huge energy that just enveloped everybody. You just wanted to love her because she exuded so much love.

When the 1990 election brought electoral defeat, Marietta was once more undeterred in her pursuit of public service. She was named a judge in 1991. Once again, Speaker, it’s hard for us to remember what it was like, but Ontario had only had around 30 women appointed as provincial judges by 1990. Once again, Marietta excelled in the role, bringing her big heart and compassion to the halls of justice. Andy Rady, president of the London Criminal Lawyers’ Association noted that “she was enormously fair and she really cared about the people in front of her.” Her leadership skills also came to the fore once again as Marietta served as Associate Chief Justice and coordinator of justices of the peace.

But let me conclude by sharing a little known bit of Marietta Roberts’s history, Speaker. During her term in office as an MPP, she presented an award to a little girl who was growing up on a family farm in Elgin county. That little girl had never met a politician before, but thanks to Marietta Roberts, she grew up thinking of women in politics and public service as normal. And 33 years later, that little girl went on to get elected, and here I stand, because of the work of Marietta Roberts and the trail-blazing women like her who came before me.

Thank you, Marietta, for blazing those trails, for a lifetime of dedicated public service, for putting your energy and intellect and big heart into the service of your community and your province. May we who come behind you live up to your example.

The member for Ottawa West–Nepean.

Thank you. I want to wish a very nice evening to all the family members and the friends who have joined us as we remember Ms. Marietta Roberts tonight. Thank you so much.

Today we are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Gary Fox, who was the MPP for Prince Edward–Lennox-South–Hastings during the 36th Parliament.

Joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Mr. Fox’s family and friends: His wife, Lynn Fox; his children, Kyle Fox and Lori Slik; his daughter-in-law, Tanya Swan-Fox; his son-in-law, Manson Slik; his grandchildren Nicholas Fox, Olivia Fox, Jackson Fox, Ethan Slik and Halla Slik; Paige Barr; Brendan Taylor; and Mandy Martin. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I also want to note that in the Speaker’s gallery is Mr. David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Applause.

It’s an incredible honour today to be able to pay tribute to Mr. Gary Fox on behalf of the official opposition. I never had the opportunity to meet him, but on reading the research, I found out that we travelled many of the same halls. As a former dairy farmer, I started farming when NAFTA and GATT were huge, huge issues. Many people stopped dairy farming because of NAFTA and GATT. He played a role in helping us.

He was on the board of directors of the federation of agriculture, as was I. I know how much work is involved in being in agriculture politics. He was on many more boards. I was on the board of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario; he was on many others. We know how much work is involved.

But I’d like to take a couple of quotes and take some license and perhaps expand on them: “Gary was a determined man with conviction. He could be a hard old county farmer on days, but most that knew him and loved him knew him as someone that just loved to visit and listen.” And I’d like to take the “hard old county farmer,” because one thing that farmers do on a daily basis—they deal with life and death. They make choices of which animal stays and which animal isn’t productive enough. And it’s not that they don’t love that animal; they love them all. It’s because they won’t be successful, but they have to make those decisions.

When we get here, sometimes those decisions—we seem hard. But we’re used to making them, and I think that that came across in that quote.

Mr. Fox suffered and fought cancer for five years, and farmers—I don’t think there’s anyone, because they deal with such hard things, who appreciates every day that the sun comes up that they get to be with their family, get to be on their farm, get to do the things they love. I don’t know anyone who appreciates that more.

The final one that I’d like to touch on—and I’m really going to take licence with this, so hopefully you will allow me to do so. We lost a good old country boy. I know what a good old country boy is, and I think it’s an incredible compliment, but many might not know.

I’m going to tell a version—I’m really dating myself—of a Little Johnny joke. Little Johnny is the country boy—my name is John, so I’ll use myself. It’s grade 1, and the teacher says, “A farmer has 10 sheep in a pen. There’s a hole in the fence, and one sheep goes through the hole. How many sheep does the farmer have?” Little Johnny has got this. Teacher reluctantly asks Little Johnny, and he says, “Teacher, the farmer has zero sheep.” Someone else put their hand up. City Susie says, “Teacher, 10 minus one equals nine.” And the teacher says, “That’s correct. Johnny, you don’t know math.” Johnny is a country boy; he’s polite. He thinks to himself, “Teacher, you don’t know sheep.” And that is the definition of a country boy.

To be that, “We lost a good old country boy”—I can’t think of a higher tribute to someone who has served this province, served agriculture, and who his family has shared with the rest of us to the benefit of all Ontarians.

On behalf of the Ontario Liberal caucus, I’m proud to pay tribute to Gary Fox, former MPP for Prince Edward–Lennox-South–Hastings, member in Mike Harris’s government from 1995 to 1999.

Mr. Fox graduated from the Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program at the University of Guelph and was a proud third-generation farmer and, as has just been pointed out, a good old country boy, dealing in beef, cash crop, dairy and sheep at the core of his operation. I’m not a farmer and I’m not a good old country boy, but I’ve had the honour of representing many of them for nearly 20 years. So when I heard that Mr. Fox was county chair and director of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board, served on the Ontario vegetable marketing board, was provincial director of the Prince Edward Federation of Agriculture and a founding member and vice-chairman of Agricultural Marketing for Eastern Ontario, that kind of blew me away. Farmers don’t have a lot of time on their hands, as I’m sure Mr. Vanthof would agree, and to participate in all those additional activities is really quite something. So Mr. Fox was a farmer by trade, but he dedicated his entire life to public service.

He began his political journey as a councillor on Sophiasburgh township council, later serving on Prince Edward county council as reeve of Sophiasburgh. With 20 years of municipal experience, Mr. Fox ran for the Tories in 1995 and joined the Common Sense Revolution to victory. He fought hard every day for the people of Prince Edward county here at Queen’s Park.

In addition to his immense experience in the agriculture sector, Mr. Fox was also a strong advocate for the environment. He was past chairman of the Prince Edward Region Conservation Authority and a founding member of the Prince Edward round table on the environment and the economy.

Sadly, Mr. Fox was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago, and he passed away this past December on the Fox family farm.

We’re joined here today at Queen’s Park by his wife, Lynn; his daughter Lori; his son Kyle; his grandchildren Nicholas, Olivia, Jackson, Ethan, Halla; his daughter-in-law Tanya; Paige Barr; Brendan Taylor; and Mandy Martin, his former constituency assistant. To all of you, thank you for sharing Mr. Fox with us and with the people of Ontario and the residents of Prince Edward county.

Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to make statements in remembrance for the late Mr. Gary Fox, with five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s loyal opposition, five minutes allotted to the independent members as a group and five minutes allotted to His Majesty’s government.

Now I recognize the Minister of Energy.

Report continues in volume B.

Thanks to the two members opposite for their tributes today—especially, you, Little Johnny; we appreciate your colourful tribute this evening.

Gary Fox served here from 1995 to 1999 as the member for Prince Edward–Lennox-South–Hastings.

Foxy, as he was known by most people, loved his farm. He loved his farm on Jericho Road in Prince Edward county and the four generations of family that he and Lynn raised there.

At his funeral, which was just over two months ago, on December 14, at the Wellington Community Centre in Prince Edward county, Gary’s son Kyle, who is up above us in the Speaker’s gallery, spoke. Kyle continues to farm there. He considered his dad a social farmer. He was a central figure in the local agricultural community, enjoying a connection with people who came out to the homestead to visit, who gathered at a cattle sale, or who may have needed assistance with their own crops or their own equipment. He was always there to help.

As the saying goes, you could take the country boy off the farm, but you could never separate the farm from the country boy. That was apparent even in the five years that he valiantly battled cancer, when he wouldn’t let himself sit idle, even as illness took hold, betraying a well-developed work ethic.

As was touched on by Mr. Vanthof, he loved his farm. Kyle recalled that Gary couldn’t get around the fields as he’d have liked in the later years, but it never stopped him. He’d hop in his truck and make the rounds. He’d take it all in. Even when he couldn’t ride the tractor or get up into the tractor, he convinced Kyle to get him a ride or help him with his tasks. Gary was in his glory when he was on his property. He couldn’t sit in the house. Some might even call him stubborn. Those folks up there probably might say he was a bit stubborn, I bet.

Once he would see there was work to be done, Foxy would call Kyle: “Get the tractor hooked up. Get me into that tractor. Let me drive it. I can help. Just get me into the driver’s seat. I’ll do whatever is necessary.” I suspect that attitude is what led Foxy to put his name forward to run in Sophiasburgh township, where he served over 20 years as reeve and councillor, and ultimately what brought him to this place in 1995, representing Prince Edward–Lennox-South–Hastings.

Gary was pretty passionate about allowing rural Ontarians to enjoy their land as he did. He thought there were too many regulations impacting those freedoms, and he fought tirelessly to remove red tape, especially in the agricultural sector. In the four years he was here, he believed in making tough but necessary choices, and noted when talking about then-Premier Mike Harris that he admired a politician who “said what he meant and meant what he said.” Premier Harris actually felt the same about Gary Fox. As a matter of fact, the former Premier said, “Gary was always very proud of being a farmer and never hesitated to speak up in caucus—forcefully, I might add—on behalf of farmers and rural Ontario.”

Foxy was a straight shooter. That’s what he was. You didn’t have to guess how he stood on any issue. He wasn’t afraid to speak up as the Progressive Conservative rural caucus chair, and he would sign petitions or he would ask questions if he felt that the government wasn’t doing enough for rural families, for young people or for those who needed a break.

He was also known for his quick wit and one-liners—many of them you can see on Hansard, and some I won’t repeat here. Somehow, he managed all of his friendly jabs without a warning from the Speaker. Imagine that.

After a narrow upset by 56 votes in a redistributed riding in 1999—56 votes—Gary returned home, where he was actually happiest. He was known as an expert in raising sheep. He was able to enjoy the experience of Kyle and Tanya, his daughter Lori—who also served in municipal politics—and husband Manson, and Ian and Christina, and raise their families, with eight children between them, and two great-grandchildren.

Just a couple of stories about his grandkids: Ethan and Nathan would often help with odd jobs like fixing fences or chasing strays. Ethan recalled one time when Gary was trying to sell one of his donkeys to a couple who was looking to find one that was suitable for riding. To demonstrate, he put his grandson Ethan on the back of the donkey. He walked it in the circle for a bit, then he let loose on the harness, beaming, “Watch her go!” It wasn’t too long before the donkey reared off and bucked Ethan from his back. Foxy outfoxed himself that day; that sale did not happen.

Grandson Jackson also recalls there would be big trips to the sales barn each Tuesday in Grandpa’s cattle truck. Often, they’d return with treasures like candy and trinkets from the yard sale folks, or farmyard pets like rabbits or ducks. You never really knew what you might find at the sales; sometimes there were even pigs there. Jackson asked and asked, but Foxy knew his parents wouldn’t be too pleased to welcome the pigs home; Foxy learned that a guinea pig wasn’t going to do either. Finally, when he asked Jackson why he wanted the animal so badly, he replied, “I love bacon.” That was the first meat his parents were actually able to convince him to eat. Well, that Christmas Foxy was pretty excited when his grandson opened the biggest pack of bacon that anyone could ever imagine under the tree. No doubt Grandpa knew just where to find it, with all his social acquaintances in the farming community. His eyes lit up, and it remains a special memory for the family today.

While Foxy loved spending time around the farm with his family, he also stayed engaged in Ontario politics and inspired those around him to consider their own civic duty.

Over the past year, I’ve been very fortunate to have another Foxy working alongside me. Last spring, Gary’s granddaughter Olivia joined my constituency office team, and then she moved here to Toronto as my MPP liaison at the Ministry of Energy. She’s up there too, along with—not all my team, but a good chunk of my Ministry of Energy team is here as well. She has a lot of the same attributes that her grandpa had—a bit stubborn at times, but a real warm heart and a vibrant personality. Often, Olivia would come into the constituency office and say, “Grandpa heard this” or “Grandpa heard that,” and you’d know that his network of sources was still pretty bang on. His large social circle included the Premier, whose father, Doug Senior, served with Foxy here from 1995 to 1999, and their lasting friendship shows the respect he earned from that family and many others. To quote Premier Ford, which I did at the funeral in Wellington back in December: “I have fond memories of Lynn and Gary coming to the house and also visiting my parents in Florida. My dad and Gary were cut from the same cloth. My dad considered Gary was one of his closest friends from Queen’s Park. The stories that Gary would tell would have us all in stitches. He was as real as they come. There was no filter and that is what we loved about him. He will be dearly missed.”

As he did on the farm, Foxy played the role of the good shepherd for many within Prince Edward county, across Ontario and for many, many others through his public service. I’m pleased to have been able to call him and his family friends and to live in the Bay of Quinte community that he helped grow.

Just a moment to thank Gary’s family members who are here with us today: In the gallery, it has already been mentioned, that Lynn, his wife of 57 years, is here with us this evening; his son Kyle is there with his wife, Tanya; we also have his grandsons Nicholas and Jackson; Olivia, the great granddaughter—she’s a granddaughter, but she’s a great granddaughter—his daughter Lori Slik, and her husband, Manson Slik; Ethan and Halla are here; Paige Barr; Brendan Taylor; Mandy Martin, who was the constituency assistant for Gary as well, and our Speaker during the 35th Parliament, David Warner. Thanks to all of you for sharing your grandpa, your dad, your husband and your friend with all of us. Prince Edward county, Prince Edward–Lennox-South–Hastings and Ontario are a better place because of Gary Fox.

Applause.