Today is the 100th anniversary of Canada’s naval reserve, and we are honoured to have senior representatives from the seven Ontario naval reserve divisions in the gallery with us today. They will be attending question period, going on a tour, attending an NDP reception, and then meeting with other MPPs.

On the 31st of January, 1923, the government of Canada authorized the organization of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. It was seen as a great way for our young navy to build support across the nation by establishing naval reserve divisions in major Canadian cities, to bring the navy to Canadians living far from the coastlines.

From World War II to peacekeeping missions in the former Yugoslavia, Somalia and the Sinai peninsula, the naval reserve has played a critical role in Canada’s safety and security as a vital element of the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Armed Forces.

Today, as it celebrates the 100th anniversary, the naval reserve has 4,100 sailors across 24 naval reserve divisions, from Victoria, BC, to Saint John, New Brunswick. They have been pillars in their communities, whether they’re training for service at sea or coming to the aid of their neighbours in need.

Can we all join in and give a round of applause for the 100th anniversary of Canada’s naval reserve?

Applause.

Speaker, it’s an honour to rise in the House to share the stories and the voices of the people of Toronto Centre—people who are seeing their lives get harder and harder while they’re being shortchanged by this government’s budget.

I shop locally, and I talk to my neighbours in the grocery aisle, and we lament the costs of a $5 loaf of bread, a $10 stick of butter or a $6 carton of eggs. For goodness’ sake, Speaker, if you can find baby formula, you will see that you’re paying $60.

Prior to the pandemic, the GTA’s 128 food banks saw about 65,000 clients a month—today, that number has quadrupled to 270,000 people, the highest number in its 40-year history.

Speaker, Ontarians have learned that Galen Weston’s wage increased by over $1 million last year.

But this budget does nothing to stop grocery chains from price gouging hard-working Ontarians.

The Daily Bread Food Bank has reached a breaking point, and they are spending an unsustainable $1.8 million a month to buy food to feed hungry Ontarians. Its CEO is calling on the province to step up and help to fight the high cost of groceries.

The budget doesn’t even deliver the help that food banks are asking for.

It’s time for real leadership in Ontario. Make the minimum wage a living wage, double ODSP, and crack down on the “greedflation” forcing Ontarians to use food banks.

I rise today to say it’s an honour to represent the people of Ajax.

In my riding of Ajax, the Ajax Homelessness Task Force, which is comprised of non-profits, service agencies and places of worship is working to address immediate needs as well as identify long-term solutions to address homelessness in Ajax.

I have connected and worked with partners in the community who are supporting the ongoing needs of the unhoused community in Ajax.

I would like to thank Ivan Dawns and the IUPAT team for doing turkey dinners at the Back Door Mission.

I’d also like to thank providers like Storehouse Community Food Bank by Southside Worship Centre, as well as the Salvation Army, who both provide hot meals and mobile food programs.

Thanks to all those who help the unhoused community.

Homelessness is a serious and complex issue, and our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, is committing to continuing to work with municipalities and local service providers to provide solutions for the unhoused. Our government—and I’m glad to support this—is providing an additional $202 million to help homelessness.

I look forward to the supportive housing initiatives that are upcoming in my community.

We need to invest in our schools. In fact, the lack of support for Ontario school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, in the 2023 education budget is deeply concerning. Our government’s failure to provide reimbursements for pandemic-related expenses not only affects the financial stability of the board, but it also has a direct impact on the education workers who provide vital support to our students.

With the potential cuts to nearly 500 positions, we risk losing the expertise and support of educational assistants, child youth counsellors and administrative staff, who are critical to the success of our students.

Many of my constituents have shared their worries about the already underfunded education system and how further cuts would only make things worse.

A parent in my riding, Bethany Lynn-Rice, shared that her son, who has an IEP and is diagnosed with ASD, hasn’t received adequate support due to staff shortages, leading to an unsettling year. Bethany also shared about her daughter, who has been facing bullying, especially at recess, because there aren’t enough supervising staff to supervise during recess. Bethany and so many other parents are worried that cutting more staff positions will only make things worse for her children and for many children across this province.

We have seen far too many school safety issues over the past year as students transition back into in-person learning.

With these funding cuts, we also risk losing important mental health support staff, who are critical to the well-being of our future generation—

Last Friday, it was my pleasure to meet with the Saugeen Valley Children’s Safety Village near Hanover, in my great riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. The safety village hosted a community engagement workshop as its recognition event for receiving a Trillium Foundation Resilient Communities Fund grant. The workshop included many organizations and members of our community focused on health, safety and children. Big Brothers Big Sisters, the food bank, public health, St. John Ambulance, Lions Club, Launch Pad, Keystone, and Women’s House were all there to support the safety village. It was a fabulous show of support and a great demonstration of the community spirit in our Grey Bruce community.

The Saugeen Valley Children’s Safety Village is an interactive educational facility dedicated to aiding in the elimination of preventable childhood injuries and death. Children participate in hands-on safety programs.

Have you prepared your children for a fire emergency? The safety village children practise dropping and moving along the ground, they hear and see a firefighter, they crawl across the floor, and they get out safely. It is a great learning experience.

Thank you to Marilyn Rosner, the volunteer board and the whole team at the safety village for your amazing work and your great contributions to our Grey Bruce community.

I rise today to extend, on behalf of all the residents of Scarborough Centre, our best wishes to everyone observing the sacred month of Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak. During this occasion. I would like to recognize the work of our many mosques in Scarborough Centre that teach our children the values of peace, respect, equity and tolerance—not to mention helping the poor and needy, through their charity work.

I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight the incredible contributions and sacrifices of our growing and vibrant Muslim community that is positively contributing to many areas of our community, whether it is in education, construction, medicine, business or politics. For example, Mr. Mohammed El-Karouni, who is sitting in the gallery here today, is a successful businessman whom I had the chance to meet two weeks ago at the grand opening of the second location of his Al’Deewan Bakery, a bakery that specializes in manakeesh, Lebanese mini pies, flatbreads, and other baked goods. Mr. El-Karouni—

Thank you very much. The next members’ statement.

I rise to share wonderful news, from last Friday, in my riding of Durham. Together with my colleague the member for Scarborough Centre and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, we confirmed the wonderful news that Bowmanville High School has received $77,200 in grant funding from the ministry’s Skills Development Fund for the purchase of high-tech machinery to better prepare our students for careers in the tooling and machine industries.

Mr. Speaker, with hundreds of students graduating each year from Durham College’s various industrial programs, this investment is an excellent example of our government’s commitment to invest in the skilled trades and encourage the youth of Ontario to pursue rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford and the Minister of Labour, along with the valued partnerships of the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association and the Ontario Council for Technology Education, our government is fulfilling its commitment to our youth to invest in new technology and invest in the skilled trades at the college and secondary levels.

I’d like to recognize all who joined my colleague and I, including the chair of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, Steve Russell, his colleagues, and Mayor Adrian Foster, all of whom pledged to support our government’s investments in a key industry that will create well-paying, long-lasting jobs for our youth and contribute to Ontario’s prosperity in the future.

This Sunday, April 9, we’ll observe Vimy Ridge Day. This is a day when we’ll remember thousands of Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the battle of Vimy Ridge.

On April 9, 1917, on a cold Easter Monday in northern France, Canadian soldiers braved rain, mud and machine gun bullets to capture Vimy Ridge. This battle marked a turning point in our history as four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time. It brought together young men in their late teens and early twenties, united to fight for freedom.

While Canada emerged victorious at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, it came at a tremendous cost. Nearly 3,600 Canadians died, and more than 7,000 were wounded, making it one of the bloodiest battles in Canadian history.

In 2010, Bill 19, An Act to proclaim Vimy Ridge Day, was passed. Members from all parties in the Legislature unanimously came together in support of this legislation.

Ensuring that we never forget the sacrifices made by these brave soldiers, this Sunday flags at the Ontario Legislature will be lowered to half-mast in their honour.

Among the World War I veterans who were there in Europe was my grandfather Robert Irwin Crawford.

Let’s take this time to remember the brave soldiers who fought to defend our freedom, our rights and our democracy. May they rest in peace. Lest we forget.

I have the privilege of welcoming to the Legislature today some wonderful constituents from the riding of Niagara West. We have with us today Joshua and Yvonne Bulk, along with their children, Ella, Otto, Charlotte and Theodore.

Welcome to the Legislature today. It’s good to have you here.

Of course, we have been fighting right since the beginning, since 2018, to restore Ontario’s fiscal situation, and we’ve been doing an extraordinary job at that. In fact, not only have we restored fiscal sanity in the province of Ontario, we’ve done it while at the same time cutting taxes for the people of the province of Ontario, reducing costs to our small, medium and large job creators to the tune of over $8 billion, which has seen our income rise by over $50 billion—$50 billion. We’ve done it while stabilizing electricity rates. We’ve done it while investing a record amount in infrastructure—nationwide, a leading amount in infrastructure—while building 58,000 new and upgraded long-term-care beds, while building new schools. We’re seeing thousands of jobs come back to the province, billions of dollars in economic activity. And we’re doing it because we have had a plan since 2018. That plan is working, and today Ontario again led the nation in job creation, something—

Speaker, it’s my honour to introduce two London members here today: HMCS Prevost Commander Chief Petty Officer Second Class A. Rooney, coxswain, and HMCS Prevost Lieutenant Commander Paul Hong, commanding officer.

Welcome to the Legislature, and thank you for your service.

I, too, want to welcome the Royal Canadian Navy reservists, on behalf of Premier Ford and the government of Ontario. Thank you for your service not only to Ontario, to Canada. Thank you for all your support and assistance as we brought forward military reservist leave to support all of our men and women in uniform.

I’d like to give a very warm welcome to two of my constituents, Chanel Wallace and Sylvia Smith, who are joining us for question period.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to welcome Leah Wilson, my new OLIP intern, and Vyssnavi Vaseekaran, my new constituency assistant.

Welcome to the Ontario Legislature today.

Speaker, I’m seeking unanimous consent to allow members to wear a green shirt in the House to mark April 7 as Green Shirt Day, which honours Logan Boulet, who tragically passed away in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and raises awareness for organ and tissue donation.

I would also like to thank Minister Parsa and Minister Clark, and Minister Clark’s constituent Ethan Bos, for their work on Bill 112, the Green Shirt Day Act.

Speaker, this Conservative government failed to notice $10.8 million being siphoned off by a senior bureaucrat—money that was intended to support families during the worst of the pandemic. And the Liberal government before that failed to notice $36.6 million stolen through a computer consultant scam by the same thief. He could do this, in large part, due to the fact that this government and others are over-relying on expensive, private consulting firms.

To the Premier: Will he cut down on his government’s use of overpriced consultants to protect public money?

From the Bayview Cummer Neighbourhood Association and father of Willowdale page Evelyn, my friend Paul Yeung—welcome to the Legislature.

It’s an honour and a privilege to welcome Lieutenant Commander Farley Farn, executive officer with the HMCS Griffon, Thunder Bay.

Welcome, Dawson.