I just wanted to quickly welcome a fantastic member of our team at the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Tim Wontorra. Welcome, Tim.

I also want to welcome members from ACORN Canada, who have come here to talk about affordable housing and living with dignity in Ontario—particularly Ashley Reyns, who deserves to be in this House. This is their House, too.

I’d like to give a warm welcome to members of ACORN and Parkdale People’s Economy, who are at Queen’s Park today to advocate for tenants’ rights.

I am thrilled to introduce our newest team member, Tony Mantul and I am so happy to have some family here I haven’t seen for a long time from New Jersey: my three cousins David, Suzie and Paul Ham, and my beautiful aunt, my dad’s younger sister—hard to believe they’re related—Judy Ham. Thank you so much for visiting the Legislature.

I would like to say thank you to Sofia Marra, who was a page here from St. Paul’s. I know it’s her last day, so I’m just thanking her for her wonderful work and saying a great “hello” to her parents, who also allowed her to be part of this fantastic program—and also giving a shout-out to ACORN Canada, our friends who are always advocating for tenants’ rights. I’m right alongside you.

Later today I am reintroducing my Murray Whetung private member’s bill, so I have members of the Whetung family here: his daughter Joanne Seymour, her husband, Phillip Seymour, and their son, Dean Seymour; Murray’s son Lorenzo Whetung; his granddaughter Emily Whetung-MacInnes; his granddaughter Ashkineeg-kwa Whetung; great-granddaughter Rian Whetung; great-grandson Callum Whetung-MacInnes; and—their flight has been delayed, but they will be here shortly—Regional Chief Mel Hardy and Elder James Mishquart.

I would like to recognize the members of ACORN Canada, Parkdale People’s Economy, as well as the Justice for Queen and Clothes. I believe that they were trying to get in the House. I’m not sure if they have been allowed in as of yet, but they did want me to deliver a letter on their behalf to the Premier, as well as the Minister of Housing, should they not be permitted into the House. They were rallying outside of Queen’s Park this morning.

Dans la tribune du Président ce matin sont les stagiaires de la Fondation Jean-Charles-Bonenfant qui travaillent avec les députés à l’Assemblée nationale du Québec : Ali El-Samra, Carolane Fillion, Gabriel Moreau, Powen-Alexandre Morin et Charles-Étienne Ostiguy. Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

I’d like to introduce Karissa Singh, who is an OLIP intern in my office. Karissa has had a very eventful first week, but she’s already proved to be a great member of the team. Welcome, Karissa.

This week marks the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month in Ontario. Every three minutes, someone in this country is diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In the next 10 years, diabetes—both type 1 and type 2 being diagnosed—will increase by 26%. For those living with pre-diabetes, about half will develop type 2 diabetes if no intervention is made.

The medications, devices and supplies required to treat diabetes can cost people thousands of dollars annually. One quarter of people living with diabetes have reported that these additional costs affect their adherence to their prescribed treatment regimens, which has significant risks to their short- and long-term health.

Diabetes also adds immense cost to our health care system. People with diabetes are over three times more likely to be hospitalized with cardiovascular disease, 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with end-stage renal disease and almost 20 times more likely to be hospitalized for a non-traumatic lower limb amputation, compared to the general population.

Improving the health of people with diabetes will have a direct impact on the costs associated with the disease. The cost burden will decrease with improved prevention efforts and better care, as more people with diabetes will be diverted from acute care and will enjoy a higher quality of life with increased function and productivity.

We need a provincial strategy for people with diabetes now more than ever.

As the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, I would like to thank and introduce the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario. Thank you very much for that lovely breakfast this morning and thank you Jeffrey Dale, CEO of the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, for the great chat. Welcome to Queen’s Park. Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

I am delighted to welcome Meredith Patterson, the proud mother of page Pearl Clarke, who has joined us today along with Pearl’s grandfather, Neil Patterson, and his wife, Jay DuBoisson. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It is my pleasure to introduce Monique Farrell. She is the mother of page Molly Farrell—sorry Molly—who is leaving us today, so she came and saw her daughter.

I also want to thank all of the members of the medical laboratory associations that are with us today. Thank you for being here today.

Similar to my colleague just now, I want to welcome the Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario who are in the public gallery above, their staff and board members including Jessie, Lorraine, Michelle, Jeffrey, Andrea, John and Robin who are here in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to discuss how Ontario’s government can further aid our fourth-largest health care profession and support patient health in Ontario. Thank you for being here today.

I would like to take the opportunity to welcome my EA, Andrew Fahmy, to the House today. This month marks about 10 years working together as part of the team, and today is his birthday. Happy birthday.

That concludes the time we have available this morning for introduction of visitors.

I would like to introduce page Nolan Stoqua. Although he is from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, he has actually been residing in beautiful Beaches–East York. We’ve been taking great care of him during his time here. He’s actually right down the street from me. I wish him the best of luck as it’s his last day today.

I want to welcome Alex Ribadeniera and his grade 10 class from East York Collegiate here today. They’re somewhere in the building, not sure where. But Alex’s family and mine have known each other for a long, long time. I just wanted to welcome them all to Queen’s Park, wherever they are.

It is my distinct honour to stand in this Legislature and speak today in recognition of Remembrance Week and Remembrance Day. Every year on November 11, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, our country during times of war, conflict and peace. We acknowledge the efforts and the sacrifice of these special Canadians and their families. We pause for two minutes of special tribute and we attend commemorative ceremonies in memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice for us in:

—the South African War, or Boer War, from 1899 to 1902;

—the First World War, from 1914 to 1918;

—the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945;

—the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953;

—the Gulf War, from 1990 to 1991; and

—the Afghanistan War, from 2001 to 2014.

I mention all of these wars and conflicts simply because it is important that the service and the sacrifices of Canadians in all of these is never, and will never be, forgotten.

For more than 100 years, millions of Canadians have proudly served our country in uniform. While the Canadian Armed Forces are known to put their lives on the line to support international operations, they also fulfill important roles on home soil.

During the recent COVID crisis, our Canadian Armed Forces came to the aid of Ontario, as well as other provinces, with seniors in long-term care homes. They did so at the request of local civil authorities and provincial governments to help protect Canadians and minimize the impact of the health crisis. It is incumbent upon us all to remember what they found in these homes and to ensure it never, never happens again.

They provide national and regional security, serve on search and rescue missions and respond to national disasters.

Speaker, I cannot let Remembrance Day go by without special recognition and note that it has a special meaning for myself and my family. As I have mentioned before, I am a proud mother to an active service member, Jonathan Lindal. Jonathan is a petty officer first class, currently posted to the Naval Fleet School, Atlantic, as a senior combat information instructor, teaching today’s naval tactics and doctrines to future of the fleet. Jonathan has served over 18 years on His Majesty’s Canadian ships for multiple overseas deployments including missions combatting global terror, anti-piracy, sovereignty patrols and Operation Reassurance support for NATO’s assurance and deterrence measures in central and eastern Europe.

Both his grandfather—my father—and his great-grandfather served our country, as many of us today have family members that we will remember, thank and honour on November 11. We can never repay the debt we owe, nor will we ever have enough gratitude for the freedom and security we enjoy every day across all of our communities. We must do our part to ensure that the sacrifices of our country’s men and women, who fought for and in many cases gave up their life for our right to sit as democratically elected members of this assembly, are not forgotten.

As the proud member of a military family, both past and present, I will watch the national ceremony, locate and attend local ceremonies leading up to the events of November 11—just last week, I attended my local Legion’s poppy kickoff ceremony—lay a wreath at local cenotaphs, proudly wear my poppy, thank and honour anyone in uniform and observe two minutes of silence.

I encourage all of us to do the same because our Canadian Armed Forces and our veterans want Canadians to understand the price of freedom. They are passing the torch to the people of Canada so that the memory and the importance of sacrifices will continue and the values they fought for will continue to live on in all of us.

Our veterans, our country’s men and women of our Canadian services, be it land, air or sea, answered the call to defend freedom. We will forever be grateful. We will remember them. Lest we forget.