The most important thing that we can do to protect our children and protect our hospital capacity is to keep up to date on our vaccinations.

If you qualify for a booster, get that booster. Get that flu shot. Make sure you protect yourself so that you can protect vulnerable people in our society.

We have SickKids nurses who are leaders in childhood and pediatric RSV and flu innovations. They are now offering that expertise to nurses in community hospitals, because they understand that, working together, we will get through this flu season; we will get through this higher rate of RSV. They are doing it because they work together and they are innovating.

It is very unfortunate that the member opposite is suggesting that nothing has been happening, because in fact there have been many positive innovations that have—

Interjections.

Speaker, again, I will reinforce how critically important it is to protect patients like Chloe—and that is to make sure that you get that booster shot when you qualify, that you get a flu shot if it is appropriate for you, in consultation with your primary health care practitioner.

Speaking specifically to what we have seen, what we have anticipated in the fall rise with influenza and RSV, we have given—and we will continue to support our hospital sector. And I must say, this is not just about the SickKids and the CHEOs of the world. We are making sure that we are collaborating with our community hospitals to ensure that they are able to step up, just as SickKids and other children’s hospitals stepped up when we were dealing with COVID-19, at the height of the pandemic.

We have seen an unprecedented level of co-operation between hospitals to make sure that when SickKids, when CHEO is experiencing a challenge, when they are seeing more children than they normally do, there are community hospitals that are stepping up and doing the right thing and accepting those older pediatric patients—to make sure that wherever you need help in the province of Ontario, your government and your community hospitals will be there for you.

The member opposite raises a very important issue. In fact, I met with the grand chief early today and it was one of the conversations that we had. How do we ensure that our federal government actually steps up and stops putting barriers to ensure that we have children’s medication? I have spoken to Minister Duclos as recently as this past weekend. Of course, it was raised by all of the health ministers at our federal-provincial-territorial meeting last week. I have received assurances from Minister Duclos; frankly, I wish that he had acted sooner. The barrier that we have seen that is preventing children’s medication to be imported into Ontario and Canada is disturbing. I think, in this case, we should have had a short-term solution that said, “If it only has English on the packaging, we want it, because we are in short supply.” The federal minister has finally acted on that, and I am pleased to see that action.

The member opposite talks about how important it is to build up and ensure that we have sufficient supplies here in Ontario. Where was that member when we were building up Ontario and making sure that we had a supply of personal protective equipment built here in Ontario? Was the member supporting those initiatives when we made a made-in-Ontario solution that said, “If you have ideas, if you have initiatives, we want to hear about it and we want to be part of the solution”?

Interjections.

We will continue to ensure that manufacturing is a large part of what we want to see in the province of Ontario, and I hope the member opposite will support that when they come forward.

Anyone who reads a newspaper or watches the news also knows that there is an increase internationally in RSV and influenza. We’ve seen that. We’ve prepared for that. We’ve worked with our hospital partners.

I’m going to again say that when children’s hospitals and the staff within them stepped up and helped when our hospitals were being challenged with COVID-19 patients—we are now seeing those same hospitals reciprocate and assist children’s hospitals with pediatric patients. That work will continue. That innovation will continue.

I have spoken to all four sick kids’ hospital CEOs. I’ve said, “Whatever you need, however we can help, please let me know.” We have given those investments. CHEO, in particular, in Ottawa—transferring a ward room and making it into a pediatric ICU within weeks is an incredible innovation and shows leadership and shows people understanding that where there’s need, we will find—

We have made sure that investments are happening in our health care system as recently as four months ago, with the passage of our budget, which included an increase of $5 billion. We are making the investments. We are working with our health care partners. We will continue to do that work because we understand that people want to have a health care system that is healthy and ready for them when they need it. And that is happening in the province.

It was a real pleasure for me to meet with the nurse practitioners yesterday and hear directly about how an innovation that, frankly, wasn’t in existence in previous years has been such an integral part of our medicine and health care system.

I often talk about how it is critical that we have regional health teams that work together, that coordinate that care no matter—from diagnosis through to treatment and, ultimately, palliative, if that is necessary.

It is heartening to hear the member opposite acknowledge that innovations, like nurse practitioner-led clinics, are an important part of how we can assist patients in the province of Ontario.

We will absolutely, as I said yesterday, continue to expand that model because we see it working very valuably.

I will repeat what I’ve said. When we have these innovative programs that are working, that are providing care in our neighbourhoods, in our communities, we obviously want to embrace that and endorse it. It’s why Ontario health teams are such an important model that ensures individual organizations are working together to treat the patient first and foremost—it’s not about stand-alone operations; it’s about ensuring our Ontario health teams are doing the appropriate care and coordinating that care around patients. We will continue that work because we know it’s working.