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.