Next week marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every September, we are given the opportunity to remember those who have lost their lives to childhood cancer and honour more than 10,000 children who are currently getting treatment while fighting this ongoing battle.

Approximately one in five children will not survive their battle with cancer. Dave and Maureen Jenkins’s daughter, Maggie Jenkins, was a bright and loving girl from my riding who tragically lost her life on March 14, 2014, after complications from an aggressive cell cancer that had previously gone undiagnosed. Sadly, she was only 12 years old.

The fight of childhood cancer survivors never ends. Approximately 95% of survivors live with chronic health problems for the remainder of their lives. Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by disease of Canadian children.

The Jenkins family is pleased to provide every member of this Legislature a gold ribbon lapel pin through the Maggie Project in memory of those who have fought and continue to fight childhood cancer.

I would like to encourage all members of this Legislature to reflect upon this reality over the coming month and encourage all Ontarians to continue our hard work towards ending childhood cancer.

Thank you for your time and attention.

I’d like to introduce and welcome today to the House Jacqueline Pizzimenti, the daughter of a very good friend of mine who just completed her psychology degree and is on her way to Windsor to study and do her master’s in social work. I welcome her to the House—her first opportunity to see the place in action.

Thank you for the question. Yes, it is something I’m very passionate about. I think that sometimes women have to be asked to do things. There are a lot of things that we do every day as mothers, as working mothers in terms of our children and our careers. But sometimes we need to be asked, because they might be reticent to take on a new challenge. There’s lots of research that says women often think they are underqualified for something and therefore don’t go seek that opportunity—so I think encouraging women.

I recall being asked to join a finance committee of an organization when I was quite young. I would not have put myself forward for that, but they approached me and asked, and that began a lifelong commitment to the Kidney Foundation of Canada. I think more of that is required.

I look at my mother; I told you a little bit about my mother. My mother went back to school later in life to get her nursing degree. My daughter has just graduated with two undergraduate degrees, engineering and business, and my son also, who’s here, I’m very proud of, is just going into his fourth year at TMU in media production. And I think that just by showing up—we need to show up. And women need to be, as I said, encouraged to show up and encouraged to use their strengths and talents, and to ask other young women and young people to get involved in their campaigns and other political activities, because it is a great experience.