Being 10:15, I have to interrupt the proceedings and move forward.

Before we begin members’ statements, I need to address the House regarding the participation of independent members in this new Parliament. As members are certainly aware, at the time of the opening of the 43rd Parliament, there are 10 independent members of the Legislature. Eight were elected as candidates for the Liberal Party, one is a candidate for the Green Party, and one is without a party affiliation. For the purposes of the standing orders, none of these members belong to recognized parties, since a recognized party is defined by standing order 3 as a party with at least 10% of the total seats in the House, which is currently 12 seats. Accordingly, and pursuant to the standing orders, it falls to the Speaker to determine the appropriate parameters for participation by the independent members in a number of proceedings, including various debates, question period and members’ statements.

In exercising my discretion on these matters, I must ensure that each individual independent member has the same opportunities for participation as any other individual member of the Legislature if party status were not a factor. Fortunately, I’m able to look to several precedents from the 42nd Parliament for guidance.

I will start with the independent members’ participation in the debate on the motion for an address in reply to the speech from the throne, as it is the first substantive business before the House in this new session of Parliament. Standing order 44(a) provides that there shall be 12 hours allotted to the throne speech debate. Following the mathematical approach that was taken in the 42nd Parliament, as described on July 19, 2018, at pages 26 to 28 of the Journals, in a 12-hour debate each of the 123 individual members of this Legislature could expect to be allotted approximately six minutes of debate time. Accordingly, both the member for Guelph, Mr. Schreiner, and the member for Haldimand–Norfolk, Ms. Brady, will each be granted one six-minute allotment of speaking time for this particular debate.

The affiliated status of the eight Liberal independent members requires a slightly different approach for this and other debates. Consistent with my statement of July 19, 2018, and the subsequent conduct of debate for the duration of the 42nd Parliament, the Liberal independent members will be permitted to pool their speaking time into longer allotments. The eight members will be allotted a total of 48 minutes, which, for the purposes of the throne speech debate, will be broken down into four 12-minute segments.

Further, and pursuant to the precedent established by the statement I made on March 6, 2019, at pages 303 to 304 of the Journals, the Liberal independent members will be permitted to share these 12-minute allotments of debate time with one another if they so wish. This decision conforms to the language of standing order 26(d), which provides that speaking time may be shared among members of the same party during certain debates, including the throne speech debate.

A similar approach will be taken to debates on second and third reading of government bills and on substantive government motions. In calculating the allotment of speaking time for individual members in the 42nd Parliament, I made the assumption that a typical debate is at least six and a half hours long, as that is the point at which the government can allocate time to the remaining stages of the debate, pursuant to standing order 50. Members can therefore reasonably expect that debates on second reading of government bills and on substantive motions will last for at least 6.5 hours, which breaks down to about three minutes of speaking time per individual member.

The member for Guelph and the member for Haldimand–Norfolk will thus be allotted three minutes for all debates on second and third reading of government bills and on substantive government motions. This time may be banked so that if the members do not wish to participate in a certain debate, their three-minute allotments will be recorded in a time bank which they may draw on in future debates in order to permit longer speeches. Over time, this will ensure that these members have approximately the same opportunities to participate in debates as any other individual member.

In keeping with the approach to the throne speech debate and the precedents of the 42nd parliament, the eight Liberal independents will be permitted to pool their speaking time into 24 minutes of total time, or two 12-minute allotments per debate. If the Liberal independent members do not use this time before speaking times are reduced to 10 minutes pursuant to standing order 26(c), then the speaking times will be 10 minutes, not 12. This time may be shared pursuant to standing order 26(d), but it may not be banked.

Moving on now to the conduct of question period: As I did on July 16, 2018, I must consider the opportunities to participate in this proceeding that are afforded to all individual members. In a typical 60-minute question period, following the daily leadoff questions and the supplementary questions that are granted to the official opposition, there will be approximately 12 questions asked per day, each followed by a supplementary question. Given this total, each individual member can reasonably expect to be recognized to ask a question once every 10 days.

In order for the House meeting schedule to accommodate this expectation, I am prepared to recognize one independent member to ask a question per day with a second question by an independent member every Tuesday. However, in keeping with the statements I made on March 6, 2019, the ability to pool question period allotments is afforded to recognized parties only. In order to ensure that the independent members are not granted a disproportionately high number of opportunities to ask questions, each of the 10 independent members will be recognized a maximum of once during every two-week period of House meetings.

Finally, we’ll turn our attention to members’ statements. Every day, nine members of recognized parties will make members’ statements and be recognized to do so. Each of the 82 members who are currently eligible to make statements can reasonably expect to make one statement every nine days. I will recognize one independent member to make a statement every day, again ensuring that no one member is recognized more than once in every 10-day period.

Before I conclude, I would like to advise the independent members that they will be required to inform the Chair in advance when they intend to participate in a debate, in question period or in members’ statements proceedings. I will also take this opportunity to remind members that while the standing orders give the Speaker discretion to arrange the participation of independent members in the way I’ve described, the House, of course, is master of its own proceedings, and I would welcome any recommendations that the House might have in this regard if it feels that a different arrangement to provide for participation by the independent members would suit it better.

Thank you, Speaker, and congratulations on your re-election.

On June 23, I was honoured to be sworn in as the member of provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre, and on day one I got to work. You see, at the same time, CUPE Ontario was delivering a press conference on behalf of education workers across the province, and with them they brought over 30,000 letters to the Premier, each one calling for Bill 124 to be repealed.

Speaker, after a three-hour standoff in the mailroom, some very hard conversations and, perchance, a dance party, because that is how I roll, we secured those letters, which read in part:

“Even before the pandemic, understaffing among education workers was a problem in Ontario schools. Many school boards can’t recruit and retain qualified education workers, in large part because wages are so low and jobs so precarious.”

In a 2021 CUPE education worker survey, the union found the following: 51% worked at least one additional job to make ends meet, 64.5% of these were sole-income earners and roughly 75% of their members identified as women. This means the gender wage gap is widening with each year.

Speaker, this is why I stand with Ontario residents who are calling for the repeal of Bill 124 because “education workers are critical to providing the public services that must be part of an equitable pandemic recovery plan for children and families across Ontario.”

I rise today to say that it’s an honour to represent the people of Ajax, and I’m looking forward to accomplishing much together.

This past June, I had the privilege of announcing a $1.8-million investment in Computek College in my riding of Ajax. Computek College is a college that offers health care supports and PSW training. I joined my colleagues the Minister of Labour, the member from Whitby and the member from Scarborough–Rouge Park to announce tuition-free, accelerated digital skills-enabled training for aspiring personal support workers.

Under the Premier’s leadership, we are taking the right steps in investing in developing future resources, whether natural, technological or human capital. The pandemic may have highlighted some of our weaknesses, but these will soon be our strengths. In particular, investment in the skilled trades and jobs of the future will be important to my constituents in Ajax.

As part of the Ontario’s Skilled Trades Strategy, the PC government is investing $1.5 billion between 2020 and 2024. This investment builds on the government’s ongoing efforts to attract, support and protect workers. The residents of Ajax and all Ontarians deserve well-paying jobs that allow them to stay close to home. I’m confident that our government’s investment in jobs and skilled trades will make Ontario a global place to work.

For decades, the cost of keeping a roof over the heads of Ontarians has skyrocketed. Rent prices in London–Fanshawe are getting higher and higher, and home ownership is increasingly out of reach for the average Londoner.

With wait-lists for affordable housing now running years long, people increasingly have to stay in unsafe situations just to keep a roof over their heads.

Government after government has failed to implement a comprehensive and future-proof affordable housing plan, and because of that, our friends, families, neighbours and communities are in the midst of a homelessness humanitarian crisis.

To bring about action to stem the rising tide of deaths among Londoners experiencing homelessness, The Forgotten 519, a local organizing group, began a hunger strike on the steps of city hall. The city of London has since stepped up to their call to action, but the province, as usual, is not listening to the needs of its people. Instead, we have a government that callously abandoned Ontario’s target of ending homelessness. It seems like this government needs a reminder that folks with low incomes, people on ODSP and OW, and adults with developmental disabilities also deserve safe, affordable places to live.

We need to build at least 1.5 million new homes over the next decade, crack down on housing speculation that has been driving up home prices, increase protections and supports for renters and first-time homebuyers.

We need the provincial government to get back to the business of funding and delivering affordable rental housing.

Will this government act urgently? Housing is a human right.

It’s an absolute honour and a pleasure to rise in this esteemed assembly and kick off my second term as MPP for Kitchener–Conestoga. I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to my constituents for putting their faith in me and this government, so that we may continue to build on the great work that we have done over the last four years.

On a local level, our government has prioritized Waterloo region by focusing on housing, long-term care, health care and hospital expansion, and we have supported small businesses, local infrastructure and public transit. I could list a number of projects that we’ve seen throughout Waterloo region over the last four years, but I just want to touch on a few:

—a brand new Wellesley Arena and community centre;

—the New Hamburg arena rehabilitation project;

—long-term-care investments which brought 136 new and 312 upgraded beds to Kitchener and St. Jacobs just this past year;

—the new House of Friendship ShelterCare facility and oneROOF youth housing expansion; and

—just before we wrapped up the last session in May, I was honoured to announce nearly $85 million in hospital funding for Waterloo region’s three hospitals, including a new planning grant for a new hospital.

Speaker, I’m excited to hit the ground running. I look forward to a productive term alongside my colleagues here in the Legislature, both new and returning, in service of the people of Ontario.

Merci, monsieur le Président, et félicitations sur votre élection comme Président.

Je veux remercier les citoyens de Carleton de m’avoir renouvelé leur confiance. C’est un honneur et un privilège d’être capable de continuer mon service aux constituants de Carleton à la 43^e session législative de l’Ontario avec Premier Ford.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and congratulations on your election.

I’d like to thank the people of Carleton for placing their trust in me once again this past election. It’s an honour and privilege for me to continue serving my constituents in the 43rd legislative session.

I’d also like to thank Premier Ford for his unwavering support for the people of Carleton and across Ontario.

We were elected on the promise of getting it done for Ontario, and that includes the great people of Carleton—building more schools for a growing province, lowering the gas tax, solving the housing crisis, supporting local fairs like the Richmond Fair and local organizations like the Osgoode Youth Association and Rural Ottawa South Support Services through provincial grants and hiring more essential care workers.

I look forward to working with our government over the next four years, and Premier Ford, to continue getting it done.

I am honoured to return to Queen’s Park for a second term to represent my home community of Toronto–St. Paul’s. I thank my campaign team, hundreds of volunteers, our donors, my mom, my partner, my closest friends and chosen family, staff—both local and central—my colleagues and every single voter who put their faith in me again or for the first time.

St. Paul’s, I promise to continue fighting for a just Ontario for all of us whether you voted for me or not. I will continue to advocate for real affordable housing, rent control for all buildings and an end to renovictions—too many of our people are being displaced through demovictions as well and are experiencing homelessness or contemplating MAID due to unlivable ODSP/OW rates that must be at least doubled.

I’ll continue to fight for more mental health, addictions, rare disease and eating disorders resources, as I know this pandemic, coupled with insufficient government supports, has exacerbated many of our physical and mental health challenges.

I will also advocate against hate of all stripes and for equity.

We are officially celebrating Emancipation Month this August, for the first time in Ontario’s history.

In St. Paul’s, at Spadina Museum, reimagined as Mrs. Pipkin’s Manor, I invite you all to witness and experience Dis/Mantle, an arts exhibit inspired by the efforts of Black abolitionists. I thank lead artists Gordon Shadrach, Umbereene, the Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit and Cheryl Blackman for their trailblazing work and relentless advocacy against anti-Black racism in the name of positive Black representation through arts, culture and economic development. Thank you for seeing us and for demanding others to see us too.

St. Paul’s, I promise to continue fighting for a just Ontario for all of us, whether you voted for me or not. I will continue to advocate for real affordable housing, rent control for all buildings and an end to renovictions. Too many of our people are being displaced through demovictions as well and are experiencing homelessness or contemplating MAID due to unlivable ODSP/OW rates that must be at least doubled.

I will continue to fight for more mental health, addictions, rare disease and eating disorders resources, as I know this pandemic, coupled with insufficient government supports, has exacerbated many of our physical and mental health challenges.

I will always advocate against hate of all stripes and for equity. We are officially celebrating Emancipation Month this August for the first time in Ontario’s history, courtesy of a bill we all put forward. In St. Paul’s at Spadina Museum, reimagined as Mrs. Pipkin’s Manor, I invite you all to witness and experience Dis/Mantle, an arts exhibit inspired by the efforts of Black abolitionists. I thank lead artists Gordon Shadrach, Umbereene, the Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit and Cheryl Blackman for their trail-blazing work and relentless advocacy against anti-Black racism and in the name of positive representation through arts, culture and economic development. Thank you for seeing us and demanding that others see us too.

I thank the members for their patience. I want to thank our staff at broadcast and recording services for reinstating the microphone service for all of us.

I’m going to invite the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s, if she wishes to do so, to redo her statement now that the microphones are working.

I rise today to [inaudible]. I am proud that our government passed the Emancipation Month Act in December 2021 to ensure people of African descent receive the recognition, justice, and access to opportunities they deserve.

Our goal is to eliminate discrimination by use of educational support systems while continuing to advance the importance of racial equity. To this end, our government has implemented initiatives like the Black—

Failure of sound system.

The House recessed from 1028 to 1058.

Our goal is to eliminate discrimination by use of educational support systems while continuing to advance the importance of racial equity. To this end, our government has implemented initiatives like the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan and the Racialized and Indigenous Support for Entrepreneurs Grant program. These are tangible examples that work toward eliminating race-based disparities and help remove economic barriers by providing funding, training and culturally relevant services to our Black community members.

On August 1, I had the honour to participate at the Emancipation Day ceremony at the Aurora town hall, hosted by the Aurora Black Caucus. I listened to the Black leaders of Aurora as they addressed our town. I recall the words of the president of the Aurora Black Caucus. Milton Hart said, “Black issues are not just Black issues ... they are Canadian issues.”

As I commence my work in the 43rd Parliament of Ontario, I remember Milton’s words—a great community leader. Black history is Canadian history.

It’s my pleasure to introduce Corey Scott to the Legislature. Corey is a bright young man with a keen interest in politics, and I’m pleased that I’ve hired him as my legislative assistant. So welcome, Corey, to the Legislature.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to give this assembly an update with regard to a key piece of infrastructure in the riding of Essex. I’m speaking of course of Highway 3, which stretches from the southeast corner of the riding, near Kingsville, to the northwest corner of the riding, arriving eventually at the international crossing between Ontario and Michigan. I’m pleased to state that the government’s commitment to widen this highway to four lanes is ongoing and in full progress.

The four-lane expansion will make travelling safer for thousands of commuters who rely on Highway 3 for safe transportation. In addition, approximately 1,500 trucks per week, from food producers to greenhouse growers in the Kingsville area, rely on this key piece of infrastructure to reach the international border and markets in the United States.

Essex county residents are very pleased with this four-lane expansion and are looking forward to the completion of this key piece of infrastructure.

That concludes our members’ statements for this morning.

I recognize that everyone is enthusiastic about the visitors, just as I am. The prolonged standing ovation is eating into the time that we’re going to have. We only have a minute and forty-five seconds, and a number of members want to introduce guests. So if we could just keep the ovations to a minimum from now on, I think we’d all appreciate it.

Start the clock. Member from London North Centre.

I would like to thank some of my constituents here: Milton Hart and his son Matthew. Milton is the president of the Aurora Black Caucus, who I mentioned in my member’s statement today. Thank you for being here.

I’d like to introduce two members of my team, Jess Tan and Dianne Dance, who are both here at Queen’s Park in the members’ gallery. Welcome to Queen’s Park and thanks for your good work.

Applause.

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your role as Speaker.

I would like to introduce Natalie, who is returning as a page from the great riding of Etobicoke–Lakeshore. Welcome, and I hope you have a great week here.

As a Steelworker, I’m very pleased to introduce two amazing Steelworkers. We have Will Foresi from USW Local 7135, Steel Car; and Sylvia Boyce, the Steelworkers District 6 health, safety and environment coordinator. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

My question is to the Minister of Health. Bowmanville, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Alexandria, Brampton, Clinton, London, Listowel, Wingham, Perth, Kitchener, Waterloo, Chesley, Red Lake, Kenora: Does the Minister of Health not believe that closed ERs and critical health bed warnings in these communities constitute a crisis?

Thank you, Speaker, and congratulations on your re-election.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce my brother, James Kernaghan, and his sons Darragh Kernaghan and Tiarnan Kernaghan, who recently celebrated a birthday. Unfortunately, Shauna and Ronan could not join us today. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

It is a profound privilege to be able to address this Legislature once more as the re-elected member for the great constituency of Eglinton–Lawrence. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve my constituents and the people of Ontario again, and I am extremely grateful to my dedicated campaign team and volunteers.

As we all know, our summers in Ontario are too short. While the people’s business calls us back to the Legislature for the remainder of the summer, I have enjoyed the opportunity in June and July to meet with many people in Eglinton–Lawrence and attend community events. As part of Toronto, of course, Eglinton–Lawrence is a community of diversity: diversity of culture, language and backgrounds, and these past weeks I have really had the pleasure of celebrating all that Eglinton–Lawrence has to offer.

For example, I was inspired at graduations in June celebrating the future of our province with graduates from Dante Alighieri and the Yorkdale Adult Learning Centre. I attended the Columbus Centre for a Ballo Liscio and Sagra della Salsiccia, both of which involved lively outdoor dancing, and I attended the 110th anniversary of the lawn bowling and croquet club and also local barbeques such as those put on by the Shermount condominium.

I thank the organizers for including me in their celebrations, and I look forward to serving the people of Eglinton–Lawrence and thank them for putting their faith in me once more.