Thank you, Madam Speaker, and congratulations on your appointment; you look great in the chair this afternoon.

Throughout this debate, the members opposite, including the member from Toronto–St. Paul’s, suggested that people who elect a mayor in Toronto and/or Ottawa are not somehow following a democratic process, that this isn’t democracy. Democracy only seems to flow in one direction, and that is if it follows the ideology of the opposition.

In fact, the member opposite just suggested that these mayors would be lapdogs, and my question to the member is: Is this a democratic process? When we allow residents, voters, to elect a mayor who then follows through on their platform, is that democratic? And by giving these mayors additional powers to cut through red tape and build more homes, can we address the housing shortage here in Ontario?