Thank you for that question. Mr. Speaker, we know, after 15 years of neglect, how we had hallway health care. We’re fixing health care and you’re blocking health care every step of the way. The opposition wants to have endless debates about our health care system, but the people of Ontario just want to make sure they see action happening, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. We have 203,000 backlogged surgeries, and we have a plan to make sure we lower that.

We have a plan by making sure we give pharmacists—now able to treat more patients with common illnesses: just in the month of January, just in one month, 40,000 assessments being completed with 65% of pharmacies across the province providing their services. That is 40,000 people who aren’t going to the primary care doctors, 40,000 people not going to the emergency room.

Paramedics are now able to make sure that they take care of the people—

I’m honoured to pay tribute today to Dr. Charles Morris Godfrey, who, as we all know, was the MPP for Durham West in the 30th Parliament and a member of the New Democratic Party of Ontario.

I would also like to welcome Dr. David Warner, who was the Speaker of the 35th Parliament, and Dr. Godfrey’s son, Mark, who’s watching today from home.

It’s important that we take time to remember those who served in these halls before us. Charles was an incredible person, both in Queen’s Park and out. Charles achieved many accomplishments and accolades throughout his life. He served in the Canadian military for over five years and was a veteran of World War II. He did a fellowship at Oxford, took on various roles at different hospitals across Toronto, and later became professor emeritus of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Toronto. He frequently went overseas to volunteer, practising medicine in developing nations alongside his wife, and he received the Order of Canada in 1989 for both his work in politics and in medicine, just to name a few.

Charles practised medicine until he was 102 years old, which made him one of the oldest practising physicians in North America. He was a pioneer of rehabilitation medicine and did extensive research on topics such as pain modification, rheumatoid arthritis, long-term disabilities and more.

It can be easy to get caught up in everyday facets of life, but Charles remained focused on helping others his entire life. He did all of this while still raising three children with his wife, Margaret. Margaret helped to support their family when Charles went to medical school. She, too, was in the health care field, as a nurse. They supported each other until her passing in 2002.

I think Charles is truly an example of someone who has dedicated their life of service to others. This kind selflessness and dedication is rare and is something we should all aspire to.

As an MPP, Charles was a staunch environmental activist, and his passion was exemplified by his role in the People or Planes campaign. This dedication never stopped. He joined Pickering residents in 2012 to commemorate the campaign and said it was “absolutely refreshing to see there’s still people who get together and think they can change what the government is going to do.”

What I find is most remarkable about Charles, though, is that he worked his entire life to make the world a better place for people. He practised medicine with the perspective of treating the whole person and not just the ailment at hand. He humanized scary topics for his patients and made them feel safe—and I’m betting that’s part of the reason why he still had patients coming to him at the age of 99.

Although I never had the honour of meeting Charles, I feel that his spirit is captured through the stories that are shared by his family, friends, co-workers and those who were impacted by his work.

His son, Mark, remembers him as someone who never slowed down and was vigorous with his work. Had it not been for COVID, he thinks his father probably would have practised medicine longer. Medicine was a vocation for Charles. Helping others was his calling.

I think all anyone can really hope for is a long, fulfilled and happy life like Charles had. He saw war, he saw hardships, recessions, poverty, disasters, and he even saw the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet he still remained hopeful. I think the lesson here is to be resilient and to stay hopeful and committed to your cause.

I want to end off by sharing a quote from Charles, one that I think is critical for all of us to remember: “Don’t give up the fight ... but stick to your point and make sure you’re standing up for the right.”

It’s tough to do due diligence to such a force like Charles. But one thing that I know is Charles will be remembered and his impact on this world will be felt for lasting generations. We’re grateful for the time that he gave to this province and the time that he spent around the world.

Thank you to Mark and the family who are watching from home. He has definitely left a living legacy.

Applause.