Family physicians are an essential part of our health care system, but far too many Ontarians currently do not have a family doctor. According to a recent study, 1.8 million Ontarians do not have access to a regular family physician. This includes many residents of Ottawa West–Nepean. I have heard from many constituents who are desperately searching for access to a primary care physician, but to no avail. One local doctor wrote to me that her office has no less than 10 people walking in every day hoping to find a family doctor taking on new patients.

Family physicians, meanwhile, are experiencing burnout, and too many of them are currently closing their practices. They are contacting my office to ask for help in finding additional resources that will allow them to keep serving patients. These family doctor shortages have serious implications. Erin Bain, one of my constituents, was recently informed that her doctor is closing her practice. Her doctor is under 40, but she has experienced so much stress over the past few years that she is walking away from the profession of medicine. Erin and her parents, who are in their seventies and live with chronic health concerns, are now frantically searching for a new doctor, hoping they won’t be forced to go to the emergency room for routine care.

Wait times at Ottawa hospitals are already over 12 hours. We can’t afford patients who need non-emergency care ending up in the ER because of a doctor shortage. We need this government to take the crisis in health care seriously, invest in all parts of our public health care system and make sure everyone gets the health care they deserve.

My question is to the Minister of Colleges and Universities. Our health care workforce faces challenges after a difficult few years, starting with the policies of the past Liberal government and now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health care system, neglected by the previous Liberal government, was stretched to the limit. This resulted in many nurses unfortunately leaving the profession when we needed them the most.

Speaker, we need additional health care professionals now more than ever to support the workforce and ensure patients continue receiving the care they need. Can the Minister of Colleges and Universities explain how our government plans to address the nursing shortage and alleviate pressure on our health care system?

Speaker, can the minister explain how our government will start addressing the regional gaps in our health care system and not just open up more seats at schools?

I’d like to thank the ILC Foundation and my local constituent Liza Butcher, along with hundreds of other folks across Ontario for their staunch advocacy for the EDS community. I’m glad to join them in amplifying their call to action. This petition is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Canada Health Act requires provinces to fund medically necessary treatment for Canadians; and

“Whereas a growing number of people in Ontario suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome ... have to seek out-of-country treatment at their own expense because doctors in Ontario don’t have the knowledge or skills to understand EDS symptoms and perform the required delicate and complicated surgeries; and

“Whereas those EDS victims who can’t afford the expensive treatment outside of Ontario are forced to suffer a deteriorating existence and risk irreversible tissue and nerve damage; and

“Whereas EDS victims suffer severe dislocations, chronic pain, blackouts, nausea, migraines, lost vision, tremors, bowel and bladder issues, heart problems, mobility issues, digestive disorders, severe fatigue and many others resulting in little or very poor quality of life; and

“Whereas despite Ontario Ministry of Health claims that there are neurosurgeon doctors in Ontario who can perform surgeries on EDS patients when surgery is recommended, the Ontario referring physicians fail to identify any Ontario neurosurgeon willing or able to see and treat the patient;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Require the Minister of Health to provide funding to hire one neurosurgeon who can and will perform neurosurgeries on EDS patients with equivalent or identical skills to the international EDS neurosurgeon specialists, including funding for a state-of-the-art operating room with diagnostic equipment for treatments for EDS patients; and meet the Canada Health Act’s requirement to afford equal access to medical treatment for patients, regardless of their ability to pay for out-of-country services.

Thank you to the EDS advocates in St. Paul’s and across Ontario. I sign this petition and will hand it to Julien for tabling with the Clerks.

“Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Black, Indigenous, and racialized people are often subject to race-based hair discrimination, including experiencing racism in schools and the workplace—resulting in negative impacts on their lives such as school-based bullying and harassment which impacts academic performance and economic impacts such as job discrimination and reprisal in the workplace for so-called ‘unprofessional’ hair styles or texture;

“Whereas physical presentation, which includes textured hair maintenance and protective styles, is directly linked to physical safety, mental health and sense of identity, self-esteem and confidence;

“Whereas Black, Indigenous and racialized performers with natural textured hair often arrive in their workplace of film/TV and theatre sets with professional hair stylists who have received insufficient training for working with their hair type—risking permanent damage to their physical appearance and therefore earning potential;

“Whereas hairstyling training in Ontario currently only focuses on cutting, designing, permanent waving, chemically relaxing, straightening and colouring hair, but does not have any instruction or practice to ensure every hair stylist can service Black people’s natural hair or the textured hair of many Indigenous and/or racialized community members, whether performers or otherwise;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately pass MPP Andrew’s motion ... calling for the government of Ontario and Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development which regulates the hairstyling trade profession in Ontario to amend the hairstyling program standard to mandate culturally responsive training, specific to Black and textured hair in hairstyling education and practice across Ontario.”

I 100% support this petition and thank the folks of St. Paul’s, the folks of ACTRA, and many performers and otherwise across Ontario who have signed this. I’m tabling it with Karma.