I move that this House condemn the ongoing and reprehensible attacks being carried out by the terrorist organization Hamas, including the slaughter, rape and kidnapping of innocent Israeli civilians, including babies, children and seniors, and recognize the inalienable right of the State of Israel to defend itself and its people against this horrific violence.

I move that the motion be amended by deleting the words “being carried out by the terrorist organization Hamas” and replacing them with “perpetrated by Hamas terrorists.”

Mr. Speaker, during this past week, many people have reached out to me. They’ve called, they’ve sent messages, and they’ve sent emails and asked me how I am doing. I said, like so many people in our Jewish community around the world and in Israel, we are really not okay. How can we be?

To be human is to be a storyteller. All the narratives we construct—the true ones, the untrue ones, and the ones we tell ourselves are true but are not—are acts of self-construction, prisms of understanding by which we build our own identity. We tell all sorts of tales to clean up our prickly pasts. We do it all the time, sometimes not even knowing it.

Today, I want to put a spotlight on a story that is absolutely true and that needs to be told now and in this place.

There are no words any human can say to describe the largest and most vicious attack on Jews since the Holocaust. There are no words. How could there be any other expression to describe the sadistic barbarism of the Hamas terrorists hunting down people, just because they were Jews, in their homes, at bus stops and at a music festival while at the same time, and in real time, happily broad-casting their rampage to exalted crowds in Gaza and around the world? What words could we come up with that convey the terror of Hamas throwing grenades into bomb shelters and burning people alive in front of their loved ones, slaughtering and dismembering parents before their children’s own eyes? Hamas terrorists rounded up Holocaust survivors. There is simply no depraved act that you could imagine that they did not do.

Isaac Herzog, president of the democratic State of Israel, told CNN and the world, if you can believe this, that Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israel were carrying manuals with instructions on how to torture and kidnap those they found. The president noted that many of the hostages—over 200—are elderly or children. He said, “Who are these hostages? Babies, pregnant women, elderly people with dementia, even with caretakers, families, innocent civilians, from 36 nations—people were killed or abducted from 36 nations.”

During the onslaught on Israeli border communities, the terrorists killed over 1,300 people, most of them civilians, and, as I said, took almost 200 hostages.

There are simply no adequate words.

Mr. Speaker, we have legitimate agency and control over the decisions we make. We know, as civilized people, there is right and there is wrong—there is no world that Hamas’s deeds could find justification amongst civilized peoples. Our eyes are filled with tears, but in those tears, we have found moral clarity—moral clarity that Premier Ford spoke of with such emotion; I was standing right beside him, together with so many from our caucus, a week ago, when 15,000 grieving people attended at Mel Lastman Square, just a few days after the terrorist attack.

Thank you, Premier, for what you said that night and for your support of Israel.

We must see the group Hamas for who they really are. I’ll tell you who they are: unabashed, unapologetic, sick and megalomaniac terrorists.

We’re here in this chamber of democracy, and we must reject any moral equivalency. This is not a land dispute or competing aspirations for national sovereignty, a he-said-she-said dispute about conflicting dual narratives. This is a face of evil revealed, a violent ideology that would kill Jews for being Jews, that neither represents the Muslim faith or the national interest of the Palestinian people or any future of coexistence. Mr. Speaker, we have a big problem when we cannot call evil “evil”—of condemning targeted violence against innocents.

We also need to understand again that for Israel, when you are dealing with the devil, it is incredibly hard to act like an angel.

Of all the emotions I have experienced since the attack, the most surreal to me has always been shock, horror and anger, and sadness at the lives lost and of the injured.

My wife and I are proud parents of three accomplished children, and we, ourselves, have not found the words we need to comfort our own children for the acts that they have witnessed in their own generation.

We must never be afraid to teach our children the difference between right and wrong and to call out black and white when others just see shades of grey.

Mr. Speaker, the silence is deafening, and right now we cannot be silent. Israel and the Jews everywhere, especially in these days, understand the power of words. You see, words bolster nations, and they build bridges among communities we all call home. They encourage healing. Words matter because the truth matters. And yet, words can also be barriers and curses and weapons. We know that silence, the opposite of words, can be deafening and has the power to create uncertainty and chaos.

As I reflected this week in the aftermath of an unimaginable horror, I was shocked by the words I heard from people in our greater communities that, to me, made very little sense. They spoke of resistance and freedom fighters—words and phrases that sought to justify and approve the Hamas terrorism; unbelievable words that seemed to blame the democratic State of Israel for these horrific attacks; words that, for some, gave an excuse or an explanation to blame innocent children and babies, teenagers at a music festival, Holocaust survivors for their own murder, something that a rational person could never comprehend. There is no modern-day equivalent to any acts in our modern day that remotely comes close. And we waited, as the Jewish community waited, for those to stand up with us in solidarity, and to be honest, some did—our caucus did; our government did; and a few in this place also joined us—but not everyone did, and the silent absence of some left a void in our hearts. We witnessed hurtful statements from student federations on campuses, from unions who could not bring themselves to tell the truth—the truth that the terrorist acts had an intention to make Jews their victims.

Mr. Speaker, months ago and in the aftermath of the earthquake that ravaged Syria and Türkiye, Israel and the Jewish community stepped forward. I forged bonds personally—wonderful friendships that I consider a privilege—with our Turkish community.

There is, I believe, a common denominator, that we have to treat a person like we want to be treated ourselves.

Today, my words of truth might offend some, and yet at the same time, it’s important that we extend a hand of friendship, because it’s not too late. I remember the stories, not so many years ago, that many of you might remember, of the Jewish community standing in a circle after mosques in Ontario were threatened. The circle of unity and friendship reminded us what is truly important: the powers that bind one to another. It’s not too late.

Intergenerational trauma can never mask or justify the horrific torture and murder of civilians. What we have seen in our province recently is very disconcerting—slogans that we’ve seen on TV from blatant anti-Semites. “From the River to the Sea”—this means the destruction of Israel. This is completely unacceptable, and we will call them out. Again, they want to blame the Jewish community for no reason.

For anyone who is not sure—and I’ve said it in this place: Hate is toxic to our democracy.

We need to be clear on a few things. Do not equate Hamas with the Palestinian people. Unlike our enemies, who wish us ill, I am sad—our Jewish community is sad—when we see the loss of life in Gaza. The Palestinians themselves are held hostage by a terrorist regime, and the terrorist regime will not even let them leave. They’re standing at the Rafah border crossing in Egypt. They want to get out.

Many may not appreciate or know that thousands of Palestinians crossed into Israel, just before the conflict—daily. I’ve seen this for myself. If you travel to Eilat, Israel and you go to the Rabin border crossing, you’ll see hundreds and hundreds of Jordanians and Palestinians crossing in to work. They come in the morning, and they go home at night—and that was the same at the Gaza crossing, south of Sderot. How many knew that?

Tying these Hamas attacks with Palestinian resistance is an insult to the Palestinians who actually hate Hamas.

Israel is not, contrary to what people say, an apartheid state—this is the purposeful intention of Hamas, to tell you that, thinking that you will believe this. It’s not true. For Jews, sovereignty of the land of modern-day Israel goes back a millennium, and the Jews in Israel treasure their homeland.

But I want to tell you who else is in Israel. Our democratic State of Israel has over two million Israeli Arabs who call the land their home as well. They vote, own businesses, are free to be free, and are part of the miracle of Israel that belongs to them as well. For them, this is their country too.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll tell you about modern-day Israel. It’s a start-up nation. It’s incredible. For those who have been fortunate, like myself and many others in this House, to have travelled to Israel in recent years—it is actually unrecognizable from the minute you get off the plane. It’s a miracle. If you go to Jerusalem, you will see something absolutely amazing: the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the via dolorosa—side by side—and parishioners praying daily and peacefully.

In the wake of horrific darkness, we know there’s an opportunity to let the light in again.

I look at our Ontario. It’s special, and it’s unique. It’s a kaleidoscope, a collage of incredible and irreplaceable diversity, of secular and religious, of different faiths, of different creeds. The quilt of Ontario is ours. It is a microcosm of cultures living together. And there are inherent values we share in our Ontario—the values of our rights to live safely in our own homes and communities so we can take our kids to school and wake up our loved ones, we can go to work, we can shop, and we can pray. And we are grateful beyond measure for those who keep our communities safe each and every day.

What I have said and the Premier has said in this place—we will always have the backs of everyone who keeps Ontario safe.

I want to acknowledge the unbelievable support of our police and firefighters in the last few days. They have been so concerned for everyone’s welfare in Ontario—but specifically, the Jewish community.

Madame la Présidente, je voudrais remercier chaque personne et tous les premiers intervenants qui travaillent fort pour assurer la sécurité de notre province. Je prends mon rôle sérieusement. C’est un honneur d’assurer la sécurité de notre province.

Our quilt has bonds that have been tested before, and while those bonds—the fabric in the quilt—have been stretched, they never broke. Let’s remember that. As many of our clergy said this past Sabbath, we need to be able to get out of our comfort zone. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one needs help, everyone should run to help. What binds us is so much stronger than what separates us. We can never let anyone tear our quilt apart.

Madame la Présidente, la raison de leur service est pour faire une différence dans la vie des gens, lorsqu’ils ne s’y attendent pas, et parce que nous croyons en notre province et en notre avenir; because each of us has the power to make a difference in a person’s life every day, because we believe in our Ontario and in our future.

I will always be there for my Jewish community. I know who I am. I know how I stand and where I stand, and I am proud of this. But I’m also here for all of my Ontario. Every day, I will always try to do something for somebody in some group. My commitment to my province will never change. They will always be able to count on me, and I will tell you why: Every day, I try to learn something new. One day, we will all pass through the surly bonds of life and be part of the ages. The only thing we will leave behind is our accomplishments.

Each of us can walk down the street and bump into history. And sometimes we do not know when we will have a collision with history. Sometimes we are at a fork in our lives.

This moment, as we think about it, might not be our fate; this moment may be our destiny. May we find it together. Thank you, merci beaucoup, and meegwetch.

Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Further debate?

The Solicitor General still has the floor. We are now debating the amendment to the motion.

Further debate?

I’d like to move an amendment to the amendment: that the amendment is amended by adding the word “being” before “perpetrated.”

Hamas’s worldwide genocide aims are written into their own charter.

Hamas’s top leaders recently declared that last Friday would be a global day of jihad—a day for Hamas supporters around the world to threaten Jews wherever they live, including here in Canada. Jews in Canada certainly got the message. This is why, last Friday, on this global day of jihad, many Jews kept their children out of school or daycare. Many cancelled community events and gatherings or stayed home for the day. I spoke to many of these members yesterday as we hosted a vigil at the town of Innisfil with Chabad Innisfil. There are moments that these children are not going to get back. They stayed home for their safety. They missed class photos, they missed hallmark events, all because they weren’t safe because of Jewish hatred—they were hated for who they are. That is intolerable for a country that represents religious pluralism.

I’m Jewish, and although my home is Barrie–Innisfil, like many Canadians who immigrated here, my roots are elsewhere. My family’s background stretches back into the Jewish community in Russia. Like many Jewish families with Russian ancestry, my ancestors endured pogroms under the Russian Empire and then, later, the Communists, over the 19th and 20th centuries. Other Jews have families who died in the Holocaust and in Europe. Still others were expelled from their homes in the Middle East after the end of the Second World War—refugees with no right to return.

Israel was founded as a safe harbour for people of the Jewish faith, following the despair and loss of the Holocaust.

Today, Jerusalem is home to people of many different faiths—it’s nearly 60% Jewish and nearly 40% Muslim, with many Christians making the Holy City their home.

Israel was to be a home for a persecuted people—to return to the place of our ancestors, a place of safety where, after a millennium of oppression, the people of Judea could finally know peace. Israel is a place of hope, the light at the end of a dark tunnel, where we could finally call home. Even for Jews not living in Israel, we know people who do—we have family, we have friends.

Yet Israel—the only democracy in the Middle East, a stalwart ally in the region, and a true friend of all people—has just been viciously attacked by the worst act of terrorism in its entire history.

The fires burning today due to the unconscionable attacks by Hamas terrorists have the same origin as the smoke from the concentration camps of Dachau and Auschwitz. To see the Jewish people vanish, and to kill the safety of the Jewish home, disappear in smoke and obliviation, and for others to call this a celebration—they celebrate the death, and they celebrate the destruction—is the purest form of evil.

But don’t just believe me, Speaker. Look at the date Hamas chose their attack—the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War—to begin its latest intifada. This was the assault on the very nation, Israel—its very existence.

Since Israel’s founding, it has always been under siege, has always been under attack, has always shown restraint and, despite all of this, humility and a dedication to the rule of law. That’s what Israel represents. It has remained a beacon of hope, a light in the darkness of tyranny.

People often question why must Israel exist. Well, this is why: because time and time again, across thousands of years of Jewish history, wherever Jews have been, they have never truly been safe. The State of Israel exists because it must exist as a homeland for the Jewish people, as a safe harbour in a stormy sea—or, if you’ll permit me to put the language of the DEI set, Israel is a safe place for the Jewish people. Israel is where Jews can feel safe—safety not only in numbers, but in knowledge of a government focused on their well-being. Israel is a multicultural mosaic. Anyone who walks around Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, as I have more times than I can count, cannot help but be struck by how Israel is teeming with ethnic and cultural diversity.

And as diverse as Israel is, its armed forces are united today—united in their mission to secure the future of Israel and Israel’s people, to secure the hostages, including our Canadian hostages. I pray and I pray for their success.

Speaker, let me pause for a moment to reflect on how grateful I am at the unity most Canadians have shown with Israel up to this point. The vast majority of Canadian society, including elected politicians from different parties; Christian, Hindu, and other religious leaders; business and community leaders; the Prime Minister of Canada; the Premier; the mayor of Toronto—all have come together to condemn Hamas and to support Israel’s right to defend itself, as I stand here now.

Sadly, there are members of the opposition who have a well-documented history of Jewish hate and anti-Semitism. Yet their leader, the Leader of the Opposition, has done nothing about the anti-Semitism that exists in her own caucus. For a group that claims to be progressive, when given the chance to root out ancient evil, they stay silent. And the silence is deafening.

Let me tell you about a progressive people: the people of Israel. I don’t talk about it a lot, but I’m an immigrant, like many of those who are living in Israel now, a proud Jewish woman from Russia—the very same kind of people who went to Israel looking for a better future, free of tyranny and free of death.

The iron lady of Israel, Golda Meir, was a Russian Jewish woman; a leader; a defender of her people; a female Prime Minister, elected decades before anyone else in the West had elected a female, in the heart of the Middle East—an oddity then and still now. In Israel, she is known as the iron lady, as she stood in the face of overwhelming force in the 19 days of the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago and won. She stared down many who thought she couldn’t do it—but she did. The cost was high—her political career paid the price. She did so and she must—she defended her people. She stood up to tyranny and pushed it back. The world owes her courage—and definitely gratitude and her debt, as she sacrificed her own health for her actions and the democracy that still is alive in that region.

This is what leadership looks like—doing the right thing, no matter the personal cost. Leaders lead. They do what must be done.

Today, many Canadian institutions and organizations are speaking out against intolerable cruelty and hate—many have not, however.

Despite vile statements condemned by our Minister of Colleges and Universities, our government House leader, and the university itself, the York University student union stands by their words in support of terrorism. This is unfortunate. I wish I could say I’m shocked, but I’m not. Ontario universities are continuing to fail in their obligation to create a safe learning environment for many—and many Jewish students. I echo the Minister of Colleges and Universities, and I want to thank her for standing up for these—

Interjections.

October 7 was a tragic day for Israel, for the Jewish people, for the entire peace-loving world. Each of us watched in horror as children, the elderly, and even Holocaust survivors were stolen, beaten and slaughtered at the hands of Hamas.

Madam Speaker, these attacks are not just another conflict on the other side of the world; the impact is being felt throughout the country, including Ontario.

The Ottawa family of Adi Vital-Kaploun, a 33-year-old Israeli Canadian, is reeling from her senseless murder simply because she was Jewish. By all accounts, Adi was a beautiful person with a warm soul. She was an amazing mother to two boys, a four-year-old and a four-month-old, who will not have a mother now because the terrorists went and killed her. She had her whole life ahead of her. It’s so tragic and so unfair.

Sadly, there are others. Six Canadians in Israel are now confirmed dead in the Hamas attack. Two Canadians are still missing, and families are worrying about their loved ones in Gaza.

We must condemn Hamas and Hamas’s heinous terror acts—acts of terror that have brought turmoil to the region, acts of terror that are using innocent Palestinians as human shields. Do you believe that, Madam Speaker? They’re using Palestinians as human shields to go attack Israel and kill Israelis. Disgusting.

There is no excuse, no justification for the horror we’ve seen. This is terrorism in its darkest form.

We must be clear: Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and its citizens. We must stand firm in our support for Israel and the Jewish people, both abroad and at home.

Here in Ontario and across Canada, our Jewish friends and neighbours face the constant threat of violence. It’s another painful reminder of the work left to do to stomp out the cancer of anti-Semitism once and for all. It’s why our government is investing over $25 million, through our Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant, to address the rise of hate against religious and minority groups—including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. It’s why our government is investing $150,000 to support the new Toronto Holocaust Museum. And through our great Minister of Education, it’s why we have mandated Holocaust education in our schools.

We cannot hope for a better future if we forget the past, and we cannot hope for a better future if we lose sight of who we are and who we aspire to be.

No one in Ontario should ever be targeted because of their faith. No one in Ontario should ever be afraid to pray to their God.

So today I stand in this House and call on everyone in Ontario to remember who we are as a province—peaceful, tolerant and respectful.

Now, more than ever, Ontario’s Jewish community needs our support—and I always say we will always have their backs. They need to be reminded of the best of us. They need to be reminded that there’s far more that unites us than divides us. And what unites us is rejecting brutal acts of terror from Hamas and other terrorists around the world

As we stand firm in our support for Israel, we pray for the safety of all innocent people. Hamas’s actions and its unrelenting dedication to terror show no regard for human life—Israeli or Palestinian. Now, more than ever, we wish for lasting peace and freedom for everyone in the region, and that can only be achieved by defeating the terrorist group Hamas for the good of Israel and the Palestinian people, and for the good of all humanity.

May God bless the memory of those we’ve lost. May He bring home those who were stolen. And may God bless the people of Israel.

Further debate?

Further debate?

It’s always an honour to speak in the House—particularly on a day and an issue like today.

Before I go too far, I’d like to mention that I would like to share my time with the member from Scarborough Southwest.

I listened very intently. I respect this place; I respect the people in it. I would like to welcome the people in the galleries, particularly the gentleman who survived the Holocaust.

I listened very intently to the Solicitor General. He said that sometimes we bump into history, and that’s true. As I was sitting and listening, I was thinking, “I’m a farm boy from northern Ontario. What am I doing speaking in a place like this about tragedies that are happening in the Middle East?”

The one thing I would like to say from the top is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. It terrorized the people of Israel, and it terrorizes the people of Palestine.

The way that I got into politics—I relate everything to personal experiences. I’m not Jewish. A non-Jew could never understand the persecution of the Jewish people—but I’d like to relay something that happened to me as a small child that was the closest I could ever come. Many people have heard me talk about my father, but I’ve never told this. My father was in Holland in World War II. This isn’t about my father. He never talked about World War II. Many people who have gone through calamities don’t talk about what they’ve gone through. My dad had a very difficult personality. He was God to me. I followed him everywhere. We were at a cattle auction, and the man next to him was Jewish; I didn’t know that at the time. I was about 10 or 11. He was wearing long sleeves. My dad was talking to him. I was a kid, just watching the cows go through the ring. But he lifted up his sleeve, and my dad started crying. He was also a survivor. I’d never seen my dad cry before. I looked at my dad’s face, and I was incredibly confused. I looked at the other man’s face—I can’t describe the look on his face. I still remember it. I remembered it on October 7. It was a look of horror and resolve—someone who had been to hell and survived and was never going to let that happen again. I think that is as close as I can come to having any knowledge of what Jewish people face, have faced through history, have faced through time. The look on that survivor’s face—it wasn’t the same look of sorrow and pain as my father’s; it was a look of horror and resolve to never let it happen again to his people.

It is hard to be angelic in times like that—I appreciated the words from the Solicitor General.

My dad never talked about what happened that day. I came home and asked my mom about it, and she told me about World War II, about the Holocaust. It wasn’t something that was discussed in our house. The only thing that my dad ever said—and there’s no Dutch translation here, so I’m not going to say it in Dutch—was, “The Jews will never back up. They can’t back up.” I think that is where we are today.

That’s a face I can’t get out of my head. But there are other faces I can’t get out of my head.

Before I continue, I’d like to just say that the one incredible thing about being in this House and being in this province and being in this country is that we can actually talk about tough issues that cause wars in other places.

My son-in-law is Lebanese. He has a different view of what’s happening in the Middle East. He was at my place at Thanksgiving, and we watched it—he was as horrified about the terrorist attacks as I was. If he was standing here, he would also say that Hamas is a terrorist organization.

I went to Lebanon two summers ago. My grandson was christened in a Greek Orthodox church in Lebanon. I saw Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and I looked in those people’s faces as well, and in their faces, I saw hopelessness—complete, utter hopelessness. At least from what I saw, all they want is what we all want: to raise our families in peace. I thought about that as I was watching on TV—as everyone else was watching on TV.

We have, in the Middle East, people who have gone through the horror of having to defend their right to exist and feeling they have to do so at all costs. And perhaps—I think they’re all on the same side. I think everyone, in my humble opinion—and it truly is a humble opinion, because I am the last person you want to listen to as knowing anything, really, about what’s truly going on in the Middle East. But the vast majority of people want to live in peace. It’s not an easy situation. Hamas is a terrorist organization. It did acts of terror. The Palestinian people are also suffering for those acts of terror, and that was expressed by the government’s side; I respect that.

It’s such a complicated place—the birthplace of many faiths and a bastion for the Jewish people, but there are many people who live there.

And it is incumbent on all of us who live in a democracy, who have the ability to agree to disagree, to make sure that we actually try to lessen the temperature and try to come to resolutions. It’s not easy. It’s not going to happen this morning. But we all need to realize that our words have impact on people who are dying on all sides—dying isn’t a side.

I’d like to turn the floor over to the member from Scarborough Southwest.

I’d like to thank you very much for your attention.

And thank you for being here.

Good morning, everyone, and good morning to the guests we have in the House. It is an honour for me—and I’ve met some, especially at the recent museum opening, and I’ve had the privilege of hearing about your stories. So I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this motion and to have you all here this morning. I represent Scarborough Southwest, and as the deputy leader of the official opposition, I also feel a great, great load of responsibility, speaking to this today. I believe I can say this for all of us—and it has been spoken in the House already: The last week has been an extremely, extremely difficult week. So many of our communities are still in shock, while for some, it’s even more personal, with family members and loved ones suffering immense loss and trauma triggered from the atrocities.

As an immigrant myself from a nation that was born out of a liberation war and a genocide, and as a daughter of the descendants of people who faced subjugation and were treated as second-class citizens in their own country just for who they are, for their language, for their religion—a country that experienced the horror of genocide, which was committed not too long ago, just in 1971—I stand before this House with a heavy heart, reflecting on the painful and horrifying events that unfolded in Israel and Palestine over the past week.

I know that I stand amongst colleagues and friends on both sides of the House who can relate to the anguish and the sorrow that come with such painful stories and history, and experience of violence, colonial violence—some carrying a much heavier burden of pain and suffering of their families and, in some cases, themselves. We have heard in this House about the Tamil genocide from our colleagues; the Armenian genocide; the Sikh genocide; the horrific killing in Jallianwala Bagh; or, just recently, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the systemic violence carried out on the people of this land, here in Canada.

And we can never, ever forget the dark chapter in human history of the Holocaust—a harrowing chapter in history, when the world witnessed the systemic genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany, a state-sponsored killing. Jews endured unimaginable suffering in concentration camps and extermination camps, with mass shootings and inhumane conditions. It is a stark reminder of the depths to which hatred and bigotry can lead. I was able to have the interactive demonstration that we have at the museum—which will bring you to tears, to learn about that history.

I want to make this very clear: Hamas’s senseless violence—war crimes and attacks on innocent civilians, women, seniors, babies—has caused unimaginable pain and trauma for not only Israelis but for Jewish communities across the world. I know that many Jewish Canadians are feeling unsafe—terrified at seeing targeted violence on this scale.

Last week, we were shocked by the brutal attacks on civilian lives in Israel—over 1,600 dead and thousands injured, children and families kidnapped.

In this House, today, we mourn the lives of the five Canadians who lost their lives in this violent conflict: Shir Georgy, Adi Vital-Kaploun, Ben Mizrachi, Alexandre Look, and Netta Epstein.

We have heard from friends and family members—I have in my community, and I know some of you have as well—who are worried and waiting to hear from family members in Israel. I know that many of you in this House have had similar conversations in the past, and it is heart-wrenching. At the same time, we have also heard from friends and family members who are in fear and waiting to hear from their family in Palestine. So many Palestinian family members are feeling anxious and scared.

I want to be very clear: The Palestinian people do not represent Hamas, just like the State of Israel does not represent all people of Israel and all Jewish people.

Sometimes in this House we talk about or we debate on opposite sides about an action a government does—and it is the people, it is their voice, that should be the loudest, that truly matters.

But more than that, the struggles that we are seeing right now are what I want to talk about. It is an honour for me, also as a Muslim Canadian, to start by saying that there is an Arabic phrase that I will translate: “Harming one single human is a harm to all humanity.” If you harm even a hair of a human, an innocent civilian, you’re harming all of humanity. That is the belief that I truly believe in as a Muslim and as a Canadian, and it is the deep-rooted understanding that I come with.

Today, when I speak to this issue, I want to share some of the things that I have received over the last five, seven days—because I have talked to community members who come from both sides, and it has been an extremely, extremely painful week. I don’t think, in my career as an MPP, as a representative, I have had this difficulty, navigating through this as I did this past week, just hearing the stories, and I cannot imagine what the community is feeling—because it is horrendous, what Hamas did. One of the things that I want to make very clear is that when something like that happens, it doesn’t just harm the one side—and their action has also hurt Palestinians. We have heard from those family members who are waiting to hear back.

So when we look at this motion and understand, how do we address the atrocities and how do we make sure that we stand with the people who have suffered this immense loss—so many Palestinian families are feeling anxious and scared, or, more than that, their struggles are neglected and undermined by the rhetoric of those in power and a lot of mainstream media, and their story has not fully been told.

When I look at the difference between those who return to Canada and Canada’s effort in Israel—it has been very different in the reality of Palestinian Canadians and Palestinians in Gaza. While we hear about the stories, we also heard from NCCM—where Hala Alshaer, who lives in Ottawa and is a Canadian, talked about her family, who are still waiting to return. Hala shared about the killing of her 16 family members, who were killed after the Israeli attacks.

I want to thank the federal government—and this is part of something that I want to make clear: I want to thank the federal government for the safe return of 1,300 Canadians from Tel Aviv. I think that we need to make sure that we urge our government to do much more in ensuring that all Canadians, all Jewish Canadians who are stuck, must return safely. I would like to put in a motion to make sure that I add onto the—and so, Speaker, I would like to move that the following sentence be added to the end of the main motion: “And that this House calls on the government of Canada to advocate for immediate release of all hostages and protection of all civilians in accordance with international law, an end to the siege of bombardment of Gaza and for humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians urgently without restriction.”

Further debate?

I rule this motion out of order. There is already an amendment and an amendment to the amendment before the House. Until the subamendment has been disposed of, no other amendment can be moved.

Further debate?

Speaker, I want to talk a little bit about what has happened as well in our communities over the past few days since this attack. I think it’s very important for us to make sure that we act on this. The Toronto police have investigated two recent acts of vandalism at a local mosque, both believed to be hate-driven, one of which occurred on October 12 at a mosque at Danforth Avenue and Donlands Avenue, which was targeted with hate symbols and hateful writings. At the same time, we have heard about the school closure and the horrific anti-Semitic attacks across the city, where police had been called to make sure that people across Toronto can feel safe.

Speaker, the impact that all of this has had—the rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate has increased immensely. There are people who are Palestinian Canadians, who are Israeli Canadians, who are Jewish Canadians, who are Muslim Canadians. And I think sometimes it’s forgotten or missed by many of us that there are Palestinian Christians, there are Palestinian Jews, and there are Palestinians of other religions as well who have been impacted by this—including the 1,100 Christians who are stuck in a church looking for safety.

It is extremely incumbent on us to make sure—and I know that the motion did not go through, and I hope that the House will listen—that we do everything to push the government of Canada to advocate for an immediate release of all hostages, the protection of all civilians in accordance with international law, an end to the siege of bombardment of Gaza, and humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians urgently.

The reason I say this is because we need to also look at the root cause of all of this. I got to learn a lot from some of the experts—and I say this from lessons that I have learned from people who are family members, are Holocaust survivors who have shared their side of the story. Recently, one of them is David Hearst, a journalist who talked about the impact and looking at the root cause of this.

Right now, when we look at this, we know that we have a responsibility to listen and understand the issue. I know this may be the first time many people across the province are tuning in to the issue of Palestine and Israel. As sad as that sounds, there are a lot of people who have called me with anger and rage, and after we had a conversation, they said, “I will go and find out what the issue is on both sides.” And I know that there are a lot of people who have their own personal stories, who know and learn about what took place. So, today, when we talk about this, we have to make sure that we tell the full story. We have to make sure that we allow for our communities to be heard in a fair way that is important.

The difference between those who have been returned from Israel and those who have returned from Palestine is very simple, and I’ll tell you why. While 1,300 Canadians from Tel Aviv were safely returned, there was a stark difference in the way Palestinians were treated when they tried to get back to their homeland, to Canada—so for that, we need to step back and understand what took place. When Palestinian Canadians tried to go back, they had to take a bus to Jordan and book their own flight and return to Canada. They did not have our local MP, Minister Bill Blair, putting out the flight that went and carried them back. They didn’t have that. So I ask this House: Do Palestinian Canadians not have the same right? Do their lives not have value in the same way—to make sure that they also return home safely to their loved ones? When Hala talks about her 16 family members who were killed and one family member who is still waiting to return—does that family member not have the right, just like anyone else, just like any other human being?

When we have people who are Palestinian Canadians telling us their side of the story, we need to make sure that we hear that as well. And today, I hope that our government will listen. As a provincial government, we don’t have the power to move policies, but we do have power in our voices, in our words, to make sure that we influence the federal government to make that change.

We also need to make sure that we look at the root cause of this. We know that the violence did not start last week—

I apologize to the member from Scarborough Southwest, but we are now moving on to members’ statements.

Debate deemed adjourned.

Halloween is coming upon us, and last week I had no idea what I would be in store for when I accepted an invite to visit Scarehouse Windsor, my region’s premier Halloween experience. On display was the world premiere of The Boo Crew, a new television docuseries which chronicles how Scarehouse Windsor truly came to be.

As members here in this House, we have so much to be proud of within our communities. Director Gavin Michael Booth delivered an experience for all viewers that truly captures the many traits that can evoke our hometown pride. The series chronicles owners Shawn and Colleen Lippert and Dario and Michelle Silvaggi. It was their sweat equity that created Scarehouse Windsor as a seasonal attraction that rivals any experience in North America, and it was born out of the demise of their much-beloved past Windsor business, Bentley’s Roadhouse.

You cannot help but admire the ambitious and infectious entrepreneurism that was captured throughout the series, but unpredictably, it was the inclusivity and accepting of so many young people who question their place in the world, who were part of Scarehouse Windsor, that truly shone through.

Speaker, you’re already able to stream The Boo Crew on Bell Fibe TV1 today, so be sure to check it out.

To The Boo Crew: Thank you for doing your part to make the Windsor-Essex region, bar none, a place I’m proud to call home, a place I’m proud to represent, and a place that’s worth living each and every day.

Today is Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. These educators create a safe and loving environment where children can flourish and develop essential life skills. They instill a love for learning and curiosity that will last a lifetime. Their role extends beyond mere supervision; they are our children’s first mentors and role models, shaping their early experiences and laying the foundation for their future success.

But ECEs tell me that they’re not feeling very valued today. So how can this government step up and ensure the child care sector is there for families and children when they need them?

For over a year, we’ve been raising alarm bells that the workforce crisis threatens child care in this province.

The minister needs to release the report they conducted back in January—where the ministry’s own summaries consultations revealed to “pay ECEs more.”

The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, experts and workers have told this government that the $10-a-day child care program is under threat because of low pay and poor working conditions, with the average ECE staying in the field for just three years.

You need child care workers in child care spaces.

This minister and this government promised ECEs a wage increase in June. So we are asking the minister: Will he keep his promise and commit today to a salary scale of at least $30 per hour for RECEs and $25 for non-RECEs to get the program back on track, and to get parents the affordable child care spots they need and deserve so they can get back to work?

As MPP for one of the most northern parts of Ontario, let me tell you what it is like to lack access to health care and long-term-care services in the north.

In March 2022, an announcement by this government was made saying that 68 new and 60 upgraded beds for Extendicare would be in place in Kapuskasing.

Les gens du Nord sont malheureusement trop habitués à une réalité désolante. Les membres de nos familles doivent être envoyés à des centaines de kilomètres de nos proches. Les temps d’attente pour se voir attribuer un lit pour des soins de longue durée sont de plus de trois ans. La pénurie de personnel de soins de santé, empirée par la loi 124, affecte durement la disponibilité des lits dans des petites villes comme Kapuskasing, Hearst, Moonbeam, Cochrane, etc.

Therefore, when the government announces 68 new beds and improved services for long-term care in Kapuskasing, it is that much disappointing when the result is non-existent 18 months later. According to Extendicare, there is a delay due to the high cost of operations and construction of this project, due to taking so much time to be built, and it now needs more additional funding to begin.

We are facing a province-wide housing crisis on all fronts, and some of the elderly do not even have the opportunity to age with dignity, surrounded by their loved ones. That is the sad reality in the north at the moment.

Speaker, just over two weeks ago in my community of Thornhill, we experienced an unimaginable tragedy: Atara Cohen, aleha hashalom, just nine years old, lost her life. It was devastating not just for her parents and siblings, but for the entire community. Atara was a bright light of joy and warmth. She was kind, compassionate, imaginative and playful. She had an incredible laugh, bubbly personality, and she brought happiness to everyone around her. The Cohen family lives in a small co-op. It’s a tight-knit community, a warm group of people, and every single member felt this loss—not only in Thornhill, but in Ontario. It was a vehicle-pedestrian accident—an accident—but that doesn’t lessen the impact on the family and the community. She was incredibly loved and will be dearly missed.

Often, when mourners come to a funeral service, they form a long chain along each side of the hearse as it drives past. This path went the entire length of the road from the synagogue to the main street. We were so proud to be there, along with so many community members, in unity.

To Atara’s parents and her siblings and her family: My heart is with you. Our community grieves for Atara, now more than ever. We are truly cognizant now of how precious life is. May her memory always be a blessing.

Mr. Speaker, who is America’s number three trading partner? It’s not Germany. It’s not Japan. And it’s not even India. America’s number three trading partner is Ontario. But I’m not satisfied with that. I want Ontario to be America’s number one trading partner.

That’s why I’m excited about the memorandum of understanding, signed by this government, between Ontario and the state of Michigan. Ontario and Michigan are already each other’s number one trading partner. But under this new memorandum of understanding, Ontario and Michigan are going to work together to build better vehicle supply chains, technology, cyber security and agriculture. We’re going to make our relationship with Michigan even stronger, and we’re going to build an end-to-end vehicle supply chain.

Mr. Speaker, once upon a time, Henry Ford crossed the Detroit River and he set up a manufacturing factory at the old Walkerville Wagon Works. That started a manufacturing revolution and made Ontario the economic powerhouse of Canada. Well, keep your eye on Ontario, because we are going to do it again.