I’m very pleased to stand here and pay tribute to former Scarborough West MPP Jim Brown. Jim Brown was a man of firm values and virtues who believed in the values of family. I admire that MPP Brown was a resolute defender of children’s rights and safety, and he is to be commended for his private member’s bill mandating background checks for those who will hold positions of power over children. By obtaining the support of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, he broke down barriers in a way that is uncommon in our world that is too often defined by red-versus-blue, labour-versus-capital, urban-versus-rural political divides. MPP Brown’s effort was one of those common-sense issues that transcends partisanship and appeals to all of our common decency. MPP Brown was horrified by instances of child molestation and chose to immediately take action.

Another issue for which I owe an enormous amount of respect for the late MPP Brown is the participation of women in sports. There is absolutely no activity in this world which should be reserved for boys and not open to girls, and MPP Brown made great strides toward a more inclusive world through his coaching of women’s hockey. MPP Brown was a lifelong hockey fan, and he passed that love on to his daughter. It was his strong belief that girls should be just as big a part of hockey as boys, and he even took that as far as to enrol the girls’ hockey team he coached in a boys’ tournament. This man was far ahead of his time on this issue, as many men of his generation would have scoffed at the idea of encouraging a daughter to play hockey. These strong family-oriented issues are MPP Brown’s legacy, and I am so happy to stand here and honour his legacy.

Thank you to his wife Magdalene Bethune, his daughter Roseanne Boileau, son-in-law Billy Boileau, grandson William Boileau and granddaughter Elizabeth Boileau for being here today. Thank you for supporting him so that he could do the important work that he did.

Last night, we heard vibrant testimonies as to why private member’s Bill 9, Safe and Healthy Communities Act (Addressing Gun Violence), moved by the member for Scarborough–Guildwood, is so important to support. Bill 9 is about supporting victims. It’s about supporting families traumatized by gun violence and about making our communities safe. Bill 9 is also about prevention, which is so important in the fight against this public health issue.

Last night, the government referred to their Roadmap to Wellness as a reason to say no to Bill 9, but the Roadmap to Wellness doesn’t mention gun violence even one time. So what the government is saying to these victims is, “You can wait until we develop a program for you.” Well, Bill 9 would make services available to an existing system with expanded capacity. It is difficult to understand why any member in this House would refuse to support such common-sense measures.

Dans ma circonscription d’Ottawa–Vanier, l’impact de la violence armée est trop bien ressenti. Quarante-quatre fusillades ont eu lieu cette année à Ottawa. Il est insoutenable de continuer d’aller à des funérailles sans pouvoir expliquer aux parents et aux proches ce que le gouvernement fait concrètement pour enrayer la violence armée.

Le projet de loi 9 de la députée de Scarborough–Guildwood est un pas concret pour les aider. J’encourage tous les membres de cette Chambre à voter en faveur.