I would like to thank the residents of Curve Lake for their signatures on this petition.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for” more than four years; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their community; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous peoples’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

I fully endorse this petition and will give it to page Alex to take to the table.

Resuming the debate adjourned on November 30, 2022, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 46, An Act to enact one Act and amend various other Acts / Projet de loi 46, Loi visant à édicter une loi et à modifier diverses autres lois.

I’m very interested in the way this government interacts with our First Nations and First Nations leadership, as well as Métis. They obviously have something to say. They have governance and government in place. They have free and fair elections where they elect their leaders. They have elders who help to make sure that the right decisions are made, not just for today but for seven generations to come.

I’d like to ask the member from Manitoulin: What difference do you figure it would make if the government took the time to sit down with First Nations, listen to their ideas, listen to their way of life and listen to their knowledge to move bills like this bill forward?