Speaker, I want to congratulate him on his leadership.

Speaking of leadership, under the leadership of the Premier and this minister, our government is making historic investments that send a clear message that public transit infrastructure is a priority. The investments we’re making today will have a lasting impact on future generations.

However, the need for new public transit is urgent, and calls for greater action and investments are growing.

The Toronto Region Board of Trade recently stated: “As the fastest-growing metropolitan region in North America, the Toronto region urgently needs an expanded transportation network.”

Can the minister please provide an update on the progress of the Ontario Line and what steps our government is taking to build better transit faster?

Supplementary.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1147 to 1500.

We continue to make very strong progress on our priority subway plans.

Just recently, I joined the Premier and the Minister of Infrastructure as we visited the future Ontario Line at Exhibition Place. Shovels are in the ground on early works, and the full procurement of the Ontario Line is nearly complete. This is a testimony to the unprecedented speed at which we are delivering this project—and that wasn’t by chance. Through the Building Transit Faster Act, we cut delays and unnecessary red tape.

However, the members opposite—both the opposition and the Liberal Party—refused to support any measure to build transit faster. They voted against the $70-billion investment to increase public transit investment in this province. They refused to vote for the Building Transit Faster Act in this province.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to focus our efforts on building Ontario and keeping this province moving.

My question is to the Minister of Education. Today is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, and the stakeholders and ECEs are here today, but I’ve not been hearing that they’re actually feeling valued.

For over a year, we’ve been raising alarm bells that the workforce crisis threatens child care in this province. Early childhood educators are leaving the field faster than they can be trained.

Back in January, the ministry held consultations on a child care workforce strategy, yet the sector is still waiting for the province’s plan. Meanwhile, local child care programs are forced to close rooms and limit enrolment at a time when more parents are hoping to gain access to affordable child care spaces. When will this government release their report and actually act on the recommendations in that report?

The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and experts and workers have told the government that a $10-a-day child care program is under threat because of low pay and poor working conditions, with the average ECE in the field for just three years. The minister’s own summaries on the consultation showed the government was overwhelmingly told variations of “increase ECE pay.”

Ontario is one of the four provinces that still has not introduced a salary scale or a wage grid as part of the Canada-wide early years and child care plan—and the wage floor is the lowest in the country.

The minister promised ECEs a wage increase in June—yet months later, no word.

Will the minister commit today to a salary scale of at least $30 per hour for RECEs, $25 for non-RECEs, to get the program back on track and get parents the affordable child care spots they need and deserve so parents can get back to work?

This petition is entitled “Support the Gender-Affirming Health Care Act.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and intersex communities face significant challenges to accessing health care services that are friendly, competent and affirming in Ontario;

“Whereas everyone deserves access to health care, and they shouldn’t have to fight for it, shouldn’t have to wait for it, and should never receive less care or support because of who they are;

“Whereas gender-affirming care is life-saving care;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam’s private member’s bill—the Gender-Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act—to improve access to and coverage for gender-affirming health care in Ontario.”

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Trent for the table.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the use of replacement workers undermines workers’ collective power, unnecessarily prolongs labour disputes, and removes the essential power that the withdrawal of labour is supposed to give workers to help end a dispute, that is, the ability to apply economic pressure;

“Whereas the use of scab labour contributes to higher-conflict picket lines, jeopardizes workplace safety, destabilizes normalized labour relations between workers and their employers and removes the employer incentive to negotiate and settle fair contracts; and

“Whereas strong and fair anti-scab legislation will help lead to shorter labour disputes, safer workplaces, and less hostile picket lines;

“Whereas similar legislation has been introduced in British Columbia and Quebec with no increases to the number of strike or lockout days;

“Whereas Ontario had anti-scab legislation under an NDP government, that was unfortunately ripped away from workers by the Harris Conservatives;

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

“To prohibit employers from using replacement labour for the duration of any legal strike or lockout;

“To prohibit employers from using both external and internal replacement workers;

“To include significant financial penalties for employers who defy the anti-scab legislation; and

“To support Ontario’s workers and pass anti-scab labour legislation, like the Ontario NDP Bill 90, Anti-Scab Labour Act, 2023.”

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Clara for the table.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate crimes and harassment are increasing across Ontario;

“Whereas drag artists have been specifically targeted for intimidation by anti-2SLGBTQIA+ extremists;

“Whereas drag performance is a liberating and empowering art form that allows diverse communities to see themselves represented and celebrated;

“Whereas drag artists, small businesses, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities deserve to feel safe everywhere in Ontario;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass the Protecting 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities Act so that 2SLGBTQIA+ safety zones can deter bigoted harassment and an advisory committee can be struck to protect 2SLGBTQIA+ communities from hate crimes.”

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Owen for the table.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the use of replacement workers undermines workers’ collective power, unnecessarily prolongs labour disputes, and removes the essential power that the withdrawal of labour is supposed to give workers to help end a dispute, that is, the ability to apply economic pressure;

“Whereas the use of scab labour contributes to higher-conflict picket lines, jeopardizes workplace safety, destabilizes normalized labour relations between workers and their employers and removes the employer incentive to negotiate and settle fair contracts; and

“Whereas strong and fair anti-scab legislation will lead to shorter labour disputes, safer workplaces, and less hostile picket lines;

“Whereas similar legislation has been introduced in British Columbia and Quebec with no increases to the number of strike or lockout days;

“Whereas Ontario had anti-scab legislation under an NDP government, that was unfortunately ripped away from workers by the Harris Conservatives;

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

“To prohibit employers from using replacement labour for the duration of any legal strike or lockout;

“To prohibit employers from using both external and internal replacement workers;

“To include significant financial penalties for employers who defy the anti-scab legislation; and

“To support Ontario’s workers and pass anti-scab labour legislation, like the Ontario NDP Bill 90, Anti-Scab Labour Act, 2023.”

I support this petition, will affix my signature and provide it to page Trent for the table.

That concludes the time we have available for petitions this afternoon.

Resuming the debate adjourned on October 17, 2023, on the amendment to the amendment to the motion regarding the Hamas attacks.

I would like to thank Colin and Hélène Pick, from Capreol in my riding, for this petition.

“Make PSW a Career.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas there has been a shortage of personal support workers ... in long-term care and home care in Ontario for many years” now;

“Whereas Ontario’s personal support workers are overworked, underpaid and underappreciated, leading to many of them leaving the profession;

“Whereas the lack of PSWs has created a crisis in” long-term care, “a broken home care system, and poor-quality care for” long-term-care home “residents and home care clients;

They “petition the Legislative Assembly ... as follows:

“Tell Premier Ford to act now to make PSW jobs a career, with” permanent “full-time employment, good wages, paid sick days, benefits, a pension plan and a manageable workload in order to respect the important work of PSWs and improve patient care.”

I support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask Sachkaur to bring it to the Clerk.

“Improve Ontario’s Children and Youth Mental Health Services.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas children and youth across Ontario experience mental health and addiction issues that impact their lives and the lives of those around them;

“Whereas the demand for community child and youth mental health services is increasing, in Sudbury-Nickel Belt, 50% of them are waiting over six months and 20% of them for longer than a year for services;

They “petition the Legislative Assembly ... to tell the Ford government to properly and equitably fund community children’s mental health services immediately to improve access to timely services for children, youth and families in our communities.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Fallon to bring it to the Clerk.

It’s the Sudbury-Nickel Belt hour.

This petition is entitled “Support the Gender-Affirming Health Care Act.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and intersex communities face significant challenges to accessing health care services that are friendly, competent and affirming in Ontario;

“Whereas everyone deserves access to health care, and they shouldn’t have to fight for it, shouldn’t have to wait for it, and should never receive less care or support because of who they are;

“Whereas gender-affirming care is life-saving care;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam’s private member’s bill—the Gender-Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act—to improve access to and coverage for gender-affirming health care in Ontario.”

I support this position. I will affix my signature and provide it to page Isolde for the table.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the use of replacement workers undermines workers’ collective power, unnecessarily prolongs labour disputes, and removes the essential power that the withdrawal of labour is supposed to give workers to help end a dispute, that is, the ability to apply economic pressure;

“Whereas the use of scab labour contributes to higher-conflict picket lines, jeopardizes workplace safety, destabilizes normalized labour relations between workers and their employers and removes the employer incentive to negotiate and settle fair contracts; and

“Whereas strong and fair anti-scab legislation will help lead to shorter labour disputes, safer workplaces, and less hostile picket lines;

“Whereas similar legislation has been introduced in British Columbia and Quebec with no increases to the number of strike or lockout days;

“Whereas Ontario had anti-scab legislation under an NDP government, that was unfortunately ripped away from workers by the Harris Conservatives;

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

“To prohibit employers from using replacement labour for the duration of any legal strike or lockout;

“To prohibit employers from using both external and internal replacement workers;

“To include significant financial penalties for employers who defy the anti-scab legislation; and

“To support Ontario’s workers and pass anti-scab labour legislation, like the Ontario NDP Bill 90, Anti-Scab Labour Act, 2023.”

I support this petition. I’ll provide it to page Danté for the table.

Further debate?

I’m honoured to have the opportunity to stand in the Legislature today and to speak in support of Israel’s absolute right to unequivocally defend itself and its citizens.

I was devastated by the unimaginably appalling news coming out of Israel on Saturday, October 7. Innocent civilians, men, women, children, even babies and elderly—some of who themselves were Holocaust survivors—were kidnapped, raped, murdered, burned and mutilated.

Hamas terrorists gleefully paraded their war crimes on social media, showing a total absence of respect for the value of human life. By treating these innocent victims as though they were less than human, by dehumanizing these innocent Israelis, these terrorists displayed their own inhumanity for all the world to see. And all the world saw it for what it was: pure evil, the purist display or manifestation of moral evil in recent history.

Every bit of news of the atrocities committed by Hamas hits us viscerally, delivering a punch in the gut, leaving us gutted, as the descriptions from survivors echo the history of pogroms and the Holocaust.

As of Monday, at least 1,400 Israelis had been killed, including the 260 who were massacred at the Supernova Sukkot gathering. This weekend-long outdoor event was scheduled to coincide with Simchat Torah, a joyous day in the Jewish calendar, and billed as a celebration of friends, love and infinite freedom. The symbolism of Hamas’s decision to attack the event is unmistakable. These terrorists clearly stand against the values of freedom, tolerance and peace which Israel and our province will always defend.

Attendees at this event began fleeing in panic as Hamas terrorists arrived and began shooting indiscriminately. The few who managed to reach their vehicles were met with gunfire and blocked roads. Those that hid were hunted down, raped and then were taken hostage or murdered. This attack and all of the other acts perpetrated by Hamas deserve nothing less than our unequivocal condemnation.

This is why the government of Ontario, under the leadership of Premier Ford, has called for moral clarity. We must condemn this evil unequivocally. Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and its citizens against such heinous acts of violence.

Two days after the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, I joined Premier Ford and several members of our caucus at the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Emergency Rally for the People of Israel. I continue to receive emails daily from my constituents thanking the Premier, myself and our colleagues for recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself.

Some constituents have noted that the ideology and aims of Hamas have been advanced through a culture of anti-Semitism and Jew hatred disseminated by the school system in Gaza. This system is supported and funded by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which has a long and well-documented history of providing classrooms with materials teaching Palestinian students to hate Jews and Israel and encouraging students to commit violent acts, which are glorified by these UNRWA-provided textbooks as acts of martyrdom and which advocate pursuing the elimination of Israel and any Jew who stands in the way. Under the strong moral leadership of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada cut off funding in 2010 to UNRWA in its entirety, citing it as an unchecked avenue for terror indoctrination. However, the federal Liberals reinstated the funding in 2016 and increased it just five months ago. This is despite numerous reports demonstrating that these textbooks promote hate and terrorism, including an extensive 2021 report funded by the EU which itself is now reviewing all of its aid to Palestine. The only way that conflict in the Middle East will end is when Palestinians are not indoctrinated from birth with hate and terrorist ideas because, as Golda Meir said, if Palestinians laid down their arms today, there would be two states in the Middle East. But if Israelis did, there would be no Israel.

Sadly, over the last several days, we have been reminded that even here in Ontario, we have much work to do to stamp out anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms. There have been reprehensible, disgusting hate rallies here and in other cities around the world, glorifying this indiscriminate violence and terrorism against innocents. These rallies demonstrate that the insidious hatred for Jews and terror taught in the UNRWA schools has infected and spread like a cancer.

My Jewish neighbours are living in fear, with children asking whether they will be attacked in their sleep and fathers sleeping by the front door, wearing their boots, here in Toronto. There cannot be any justification for what has happened to the victims of these atrocities, including the six known Canadians who were killed by Hamas: Netta Epstein, Shir Georgy, Adi Vital-Kaploun, Ben Mizrachi and Alexandre Look as well as Tiferet Lapidot. All of them were in their early twenties except for Alexandre and Adi who were 33. May their memories be a blessing.

Anyone who cares about humanity and human rights should condemn unequivocally the unspeakable atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists and join the call for them to face justice. As a concerned citizen, Dan Levy of Toronto wrote with great insight in a letter to the editor published in the Post a week after the attack: “Here are some truths for those Canadians, media members, academic institutions and members of government who constantly claim the moral high ground in the ever-present culture wars and yet now voice pro-Hamas sentiment and justification.

“You cannot truly claim that every child matters then stay silent when terrorists kidnap and murder children and decapitate babies.

“You do not care about the safety of women when you turn a blind eye to terrorists raping and torturing them.

“You do not truly fight for LGBTQ+ rights when you stand with fundamentally oppressive regimes.

“If the attacks by terrorists at the music festival in Israel did not horrify you, then neither did the Las Vegas and Orlando attacks.

“If you can’t use proper terms like ‘terrorists’ or ‘terrorism,’ the news industry is not for you.

“You cannot be anti-racist and be complicit in anti-Semitism.

“It is time to call out the hypocrisy of those who mask their self interest as supporting human rights.”

That’s the end of Dan Levy’s great letter. And I agree with Dan Levy: There is something wrong with us and our cultural institutions if we do not share his moral clarity on this. There is no room for hate in Canada and in Ontario. As Canadians and Ontarians, we are proud of the multiculturalism and inclusive society we have built together where all peoples of all faiths and all backgrounds are welcomed and respected. However, these ideals can never be confused with or justify anti-Semitism, racism or hatred towards any group.

This isn’t a matter of political ideology—it is a matter of our shared humanity. If you do not respect the fundamental dignity and right to life of every human being—because they are a human being—how can you claim that respect for yourself? We must call out hate directed at any group or individual every time we see it. We must enforce the laws on the books against hate, and if the laws on the books cannot be used to combat the hate we see, then we need to put better laws on the books and we need to enforce them. If we do not do so, then our cherished multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith society will be torn apart.

Hamas—these terrorists—neither represent the Islamic faith, nor the Palestinians in Gaza, nor elsewhere. Indeed, Hamas has demonstrated that it prioritizes genocide over the lives of its own Gazan people. Gazans are being prevented from leaving the danger zone and are being held hostage as Hamas uses them to protect their weapons rather than using weapons, as Israel does, to protect its people.

Let me quote my friend, former Canadian finance minister, the former member of Parliament for my riding, MP Joe Oliver, from an article published this week:

“It is long past the time to get rid of delusions, myths and ethical relativism harboured by some Westerners who are variously naive or wilfully blind to reality and indifferent or hostile to a homeland for the Jewish people....

“There can be no moral equivalence between a terrorist organization that commits crimes against humanity and a democratic country it wishes to destroy by violent means.”

Hamas’s “strategic goal is to delegitimize Israel.... That explains why it filmed its atrocities, in spite of the revulsion it generated around the world. The purpose was to outrage the Israeli population to make an invasion of Gaza inevitable, since return to the status quo is strategically intolerable....

“Israel is defending its sovereignty and population against depraved terrorists who massacred its citizens. That means eliminating Hamas as a military and governance menace, which cannot be achieved peacefully. Israel merits Canada’s unwavering support during the very difficult time ahead.”

Let me just close by saying words matter. A number of media organizations have editorial guidelines, for example, directing them not to use the term “terrorist” in their reporting of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and these guidelines may be borne out of well-intentioned aspirations to appear accurate and impartial, but there is a point at which a failure to use the term “terrorist” is itself a failure of accuracy and impartiality. The depth of the terror that Hamas has inflicted upon innocent people across Israel in recent days is not in doubt. The murder of babies where they sleep is not an act of a freedom fighter. The performative desecration of dead bodies for the benefit of social media, the rape of women and the beheading of civilians in their homes are not acts of militants.

The true motives of Hamas could not be clearer: It seeks the murder of Jews and the annihilation of the Jewish state. Their charter says as much. Hamas is no different to ISIS—at least the Nazis were embarrassed by their crimes and tried to hide them, but these guys aren’t. It should be painfully obvious that there is no moral equivalence between those whose motive is to deliberately target innocent civilians in cold blood and those whose motive is to remove the threat of such murderers. The fact that this discussion is necessary at all is a clear sign that we are losing our moral compass and of the warped nature of the depths to which discourse on Israel has sunk.

I call upon everyone with me to reiterate the demand for the immediate release of the 200 people still being held hostage: mothers, daughters, sons, husbands, aunts, uncles, grandparents—from five months old to 95 years old. I join with all of those praying for their safe and swift return.

As we mourn the victims and stand with the citizens of Israel, we come together to remind the world that “never again” is now. As Sheryl Saperia in my riding wrote in an article in the Toronto Sun, if you have ever wondered what you would have done in the Holocaust, if you would have stood up against the inhumanity of terror, now is the time to show what you are made of, to stand like the righteous among the nations, to stand up for the victims of Hamas’s terror attacks and for Israel’s right to defend itself against further attacks.

Today and always, we stand with Israel and with the Jews here and around the world in the face of these acts of war.

Good afternoon. I want to begin by acknowledging the pain being felt by the thousands of Ontarians who have connections to Israel and Palestine. For Jewish people in our province and all around the world, the heinous attack on Israel was felt acutely, both by people with family and friends in Israel and by those who felt this as an attack on all Jews.

Six Canadians were killed in these terror attacks that we know of so far and two are missing. They are among the more than 1,400 people murdered in these acts by Hamas. We mourn them all. Some 3,400 others—that we know of so far—were injured; 199 Israelis remain hostages of Hamas, a terrifying reality that leaves their families in agony. I know some of their families, Speaker, are right here in our communities, in our province, and they are feeling that pain.

We in the NDP official opposition unequivocally condemn these terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians. There can be no justification.

We have seen the ripple effects of this violence across the globe, including right here in Ontario, where Jewish and Arab and Muslim communities have seen a rise of hatred, increased police presence near Jewish community spaces and places of worship, the vandalism of mosques.

People in Ontario are very worried. Now, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues, they are watching in absolute horror as Palestinian civilians, who bear no responsibility for the actions of Hamas, are caught in a devastating siege. Some 2,778 Palestinians have been killed at this moment. A significant number of them were children. That number is already out of date as I say this, because we have reports coming in that thousands of Palestinians were killed just this afternoon in an air strike on a hospital in Gaza.

Nearly 10,000 people are wounded in Gaza and hundreds of thousands more displaced by an evacuation order, going without food, without water, without electricity and unable to leave. Here in Ontario, people are desperately trying to reach their loved ones, family and friends in the area. Others have already received devastating news and are mourning their loss and experiencing real pain. Members of this assembly, our staff, our constituents are all deeply impacted by this, and my heart is with them during this impossibly difficult time.

The region is spiraling, and Canada must act now to save lives. We are watching potential war crimes in real time, and the pain and the suffering we are witnessing is only going to get worse. As provincial legislators, it can feel sometimes like we are powerless to affect conflicts on a global scale, even as we see the reverberations here in our own communities. We can’t resolve this war in this chamber, but we can use the power we do have to bring people together, to acknowledge the hurt and work together in healing. This is a moment that this government could use our time here in this place to do just that.

I have to say, Speaker, unfortunately I don’t believe that this motion accomplishes that. That’s why we in the opposition worked in good faith. We put in a lot of time to put forward an amendment to this motion to recognize the scale of what’s happening and who is affected. It was an amendment that takes nothing, absolutely nothing, away from the motion that we are debating. I want to reference that addition because I think it will inform our debate on the main motion. It reads as follows:

“The House calls on the government of Canada to advocate for the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of all civilians in accordance with international law, an end to the siege and bombardment of Gaza, and for humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian civilians urgently and without restriction.”

That was added to the existing language. We didn’t try to change the language that exists there. We just wanted to add this because we think that by omitting this aspect of the current conflict, this motion that’s before us risks obscuring what’s happening in the region right now as we speak. Without this, I fear we won’t be meeting the moment we are in. Instead of bringing people together, we risk raising the temperature here in Ontario and, with it, the very real impacts on people in our communities. I urge the government to support our amendment or withdraw the motion and work with communities and all parties in this Legislature to bring forward a motion that truly unifies people. That would be true leadership.

Speaker, we cannot look away from what is happening in Israel and Gaza right now, and we need the federal government to be a voice for peace. Anything less would be a betrayal of our values as Canadians. Israel has suffered one of the most horrific tragedies in its history. They are still experiencing rocket attacks and evacuating parts of the country. People remain in a state of fear and vigilance. Palestinians are suffering on a scale we have never seen as a result of this siege of Gaza.

Canada must today insist on the respect of international law, of humanitarian principles and urge Israel to rescind the evacuation order as the United Nations has called for. Canada must continue to call for immediate release of all hostages and the protection of all civilians in accordance with international law. We must call for a ceasefire and an end to the siege and the bombardment of Gaza. With the rest of the international community, we must work to ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians urgently and without restriction.

It’s about humanity, like finding the humanity in all of us in this moment, in a really difficult time. It’s a challenge for a lot of people who are hurting. I feel it. But all of us in this chamber, in our communities, we must condemn all acts of anti-Semitism and all anti-Palestinian racism. That includes any glorification or calls for the killing of innocent people, Israeli or Palestinian. These are difficult and perilous times. It’s difficult for many of us to even imagine the pain and the devastation—you know, when I wrote that, I thought to myself, actually, there are many people in this chamber who themselves I’m sure have experienced war and oppression. And I will say I think it’s inevitable that we bring those experiences with us and that they inform much of who we are. But things are not without humanity, because so many Israelis and Palestinians—medical workers, human rights advocates, humanitarians and just ordinary citizens—are doing what they can to preserve life in the face of such horror.

I want to challenge those of us in this chamber to look at what we can do to end the scourge of war and terror; to fight for peace; to bring people together, not tear them apart; and to never use this horrific conflict for domestic political gain.

Further debate?

Further debate?

I’ll be sharing my time with the members from Orléans, Kingston and the Islands, and Don Valley West.

I want to begin by offering my condolences to the family of Adi Vital-Kaploun, with family ties to Ottawa. In fact, I want to offer my condolences to all the families that are impacted by this senseless violence and attack on October 7. There are not many degrees of separation in families who are impacted by this. I can’t imagine people’s grief.

The attack by Hamas on innocent civilians—moms and dads, children, brothers and sisters, friends, grandparents—was deliberately brutal and barbaric, I find, in a way that is unspeakable. It’s hard to find the words of truly how inhuman the attack was.

Israel has a right to defend itself against this terror. Since October 7, I have had those images of those families in my head and in the pit of my stomach. It’s not going away. The intent of Hamas was to spread terror. That’s why we call them terrorists. That’s not disputable. It’s hate—hate that doesn’t care about innocent lives, no matter where they live, in Israel or in Gaza. The attacks were brutal to stoke anger, to provoke a response, to broaden the conflict.

Here’s the thing: It’s not just about broadening the conflict in the Middle East, and not just about broadening the conflict in our world. It’s about broadening the conflict in our communities. They seek to divide us, to pit one against the other.

I’ve spoken to many in my community: people of faith, people not of faith, Jews, Muslims, Christians. I spoke to my kids. They’re all worried about the rise of hate, the rise of anti-Semitism, the rise of Islamophobia. People are anxious in our communities. They’re worried—all of us, no matter who we are; we can feel it. We’re worried about the targeting of communities. Our job is to keep us together, is to bring us together, is to find the commonalities that we all have in our communities.

The thing with conflict and war is, like they always say, truth is the first casualty. That’s going to make this really hard, but we have to find a way to bring people together about the thing that I think we all agree on in here and outside of here, which is protecting innocent lives. That’s important, no matter where they live. I think we can all agree on that.

I saw the amendment this morning—the number of amendments—and I had one that I wanted to suggest. As a province, in the past and right now, when there have been areas in conflict—in Ukraine, in Lebanon—when there have been calamities and casualties in this world, we’ve found a way to respond. As a government, we found a way to respond, to find some way to contribute to people’s security and safety, to try to meet their needs. I would like to put an amendment forward like that. I would like the government to consider that. I think we need to send that sign, that we’re about protecting innocent lives, wherever they live.

Now, I don’t have too much time left, because I would like to share my time with my colleagues here. I wish I had some more time to talk about this. I think we need to think about how we are, in here, and how we work together so that we can keep our communities together. We have to be an example. I think we can do it; there have been a few moments recently when I’ve been very worried about that, and I just want to leave you with that thought.

The horrific terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas has evoked historical memories of anti-Semitic hatred. There is immense sorrow and fear being felt around the world. Nothing justifies the organized, targeted slaughter of civilians, and it must always be condemned.

Hamas does not accept the existence of Israel and employs violence as a means to achieve their end.

Israel has a right under international law to defend itself and, in the coming days, it will try to rescue the hostages and neutralize Hamas.

In Gaza, there are innocent civilians who are in harm’s way. The governments of Israel and other countries, including Canada, have a responsibility to uphold international law and to minimize innocent civilian casualties. Canada has called for unimpeded humanitarian access and a humanitarian corridor to civilians in Gaza, which would be a good step. For the good of the entire international community, the governments of Israel and other countries must keep in mind the need to retain prospects for peace in the long term.

Here at home, our social bonds and political sympathies may lie in different places, but we have an obligation to live together respectfully. Respect can begin with acknowledging the pain and anguish on all sides of this conflict. Perhaps it is in our own communities where many are grief-stricken, but relationships between different diaspora communities within the Canadian social fabric are not yet broken. Perhaps it is there that the seeds of future peace may find fertile ground. There is no place for hatred towards each other in Ontario.

Let’s work against division at home. Salaam. Shalom. Peace.

It was a few weeks ago now that I was sitting on my couch, enjoying my morning coffee and settling in for what I thought was going to be a quiet day of Formula One, football and family, and then my phone started to go berserk. At first, I didn’t really know what to make of it; I think, Madam Speaker, many of us have become a little numb to the violence that takes place in the Middle East.

But quickly, I began to learn about the cowardly, heinous and brutal terror attack by Hamas against innocent civilians simply going about their daily lives, doing the same things that I was doing right then and there with my family in my home: parents killed in front of their children, children killed in front of their parents, women raped, kidnappings, and the cowardly use of hostages. As I heard one Israeli official discuss on television, these were not the overzealous acts of soldiers in war—as bad as that would be on its own. This was the plan. This murderous rampage, this terror, was the plan. Hamas wanted to provoke a confrontation.

And this has happened before. When peace was in their grasp in the 1990s, during the Oslo peace process, it was Hamas that launched the first suicide bombings, derailing all efforts to find a peaceful two-state solution, a solution that would undoubtedly have benefited millions of Palestinians over the last 25 years. Now that Israel and Saudi Arabia are on the verge of a new historic agreement and recognition, Hamas strikes again with barbarism and hate. Why? Because Hamas doesn’t believe that Israel has the right to exist and does not want to see any progress or peace that would recognize Israel’s right to exist—even if that agreement benefits the people of the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank.

Now, Madam Speaker, the loss of civilian life, whether it be Israeli, Palestinian, Jew, Muslim, Christian or any other religion or ethnicity, is a tragedy. On that we can all agree. But the blame of what is happening lies with the terrorists of Hamas.

While the men and women defending Israel stand in front of schools and hospitals, fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves, to protect the democratic pluralistic society they have built, we see the terrorists of Hamas hiding behind and within schools and hospitals, placing innocent lives in front of them, into the danger, in an effort to give themselves more time and space to continue to kill and destroy.

It’s time, Madam Speaker, for Hamas to be ended. Palestine, Israel, the Middle East and the world will be a better place when Hamas is eliminated and a legitimate Palestinian group can govern Gaza and bring about the peace and partnership with Israel we all dream and hope for.

As we prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving just a few short days ago, we heard the horrible attacks that by the terrorist organization Hamas against the citizens of Israel. I mourn the loss of the Israeli Canadians and all those killed in this conflict.

I share the pain of residents from the diverse communities in Don Valley West in expressing my horror at the reprehensible attacks carried out by Hamas against the citizens of Israel, including the slaughter, rape and kidnapping of Israeli civilians, including babies, children and seniors.

I want to thank the Solicitor General and the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for their moving remarks and for sharing their personal stories this morning.

I stand with the Prime Minister and the government in clearly stating that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law and I add my voice to those calling for the immediate release of all hostages and demand that they be treated in accordance with international law. Their families are waiting for them and want them back home.

I know that myself and residents of Don Valley West are also deeply saddened to see the humanitarian crisis unfolding now in Gaza, especially the deaths of innocent women and children. That loss in Israel and Gaza is extremely disturbing, and I, along with many Ontarians, cry when thinking of the pain of the families and communities affected. The terrorist organization Hamas has the blood of innocent Israelis and Palestinians on their hands, and we cannot let their efforts to divide those in the Middle East divide good people around the world, including us here in our city and our province.

I add my prayers to those of many in our city, our province, our country and our world for a return to peace talks and to peace. At other times in history, in different regions of the world, we have thought that peace was unattainable, but indeed a peace process was built by demonstrating an alternative to violence. I hope the peoples of Israel and Gaza will see this peace soon.

Further debate?

It’s my very great honour to speak on motion 18. Life is very challenging in the best of times. Our limits are pushed to comprehend the way people respond to things. But the last week and a half has made me question humanity itself.

We all went to bed the Friday before last. Earlier that day, I had picked out a medium-sized turkey for Thanksgiving, and we went into slumber not realizing what we would wake to, the reality of terror and nightmare of human slaughter in Israel, human slaughter that was tantamount to 9/11. It was unbearable to watch things unfold in Israel, surreal and very disturbing. When my husband woke me up, he said, “You need to turn on the TV set.” I had no capacity to absorb what I was about to see or hear.

Saturday, October 7, or in the Jewish calendar the 22nd day of Tishrei, the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, with the evening of Simchat Torah, which marks the final day of the reading of the Torah, which is a very holy day, is supposed to be a joyous occasion, one of the happiest holidays in the Jewish calendar. But as I turned on the television and scanned social media, we discovered that hundreds of young people’s lives were gone, brutally murdered at a music festival located in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip. These lives were savagely taken by Hamas, women and children slaughtered in their own homes.

The videos on social media, visuals of inhumane atrocities: children dying; teenage girls being dragged—raped, bruised and bloodied—out of trucks; elderly people, dementia patients who had no idea what was going on or where they were or what kind of pain they were feeling; Holocaust survivors, people who had started their lives in terror and now ended their lives in terror. Hamas’s attack on Israel was the worst Jewish casualty since the Holocaust—full stop.

Currently, there are over 1,400 Israelis murdered, including six Canadians, over 3,000 injured and 199 still being held hostage. We do not know if we’ll ever see them again. It was horrific. It was inhumane. It was despicable.

I have a very strong table, and to sit at my table, you need to say three things—I represent the largest Jewish contingency in Thornhill—first, “I support Israel’s right to defend itself.” Second, “I support Israel’s right to exist.” And lastly, “I stand with Israel—full stop.”

Our Premier said all of these things right out of the gate, no hesitation. He was there for us. When I circle back to that day that we heard everything, I spent the rest of the day with my neighbours, members of my community, with my children. I sat in a living room and watched the news as Israeli reservists here in Thornhill tried to figure out a way to get across the globe to serve their community. These boys were only a few years older than my son. We were in that living room with them. I was physically in that living room with those boys, who were Israeli Canadians, and we listened to them, and we listened to them preparing to defend Israel. And I will say this, and there can be no question or confusion: Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and its people.

That night, I visited the congregation and families of the Russian Center of Thornhill Woods, where I was greeted by Rabbi Hildeshaim and his wife, Chanie, and we celebrated Simchat Torah—yes, we celebrated. Simchat Torah is the end of the reading of the Torah, which is known as the Bible, and at that time, many Orthodox Jews who do not use technology on holy days were not even aware of what had happened. They didn’t know, but there were rumours and they had begun to circle. It was sickening for them to think about what their friends and family members were experiencing in Israel, and although they were deflated, their spirits were not broken.

The rabbi’s wife, Chanie—we had a brief conversation—reminded me that we had to lift ourselves above everything that had happened, to celebrate regardless. Now, Chanie is a strong woman, and on any other gathering, we would be laughing or perhaps even baking. Chanie makes a pretty mean challah, which is like a beautiful, braided egg bread, and I thank her for her company and her guidance. But, just like everyone else in that room, part of her heart and many of her family members are in Israel—a place, for some, that seemed far away.

The next day, I travelled to the BAYT, which is the Beth Avraham Yosef of Toronto, which is the largest Orthodox synagogue in Canada. Rabbi Korobkin is their stoic leader and just about everyone in his purview has deep ties to Israel. Many of the congregants are dual citizens or global citizens, and “global citizens” is a term that my friend, businessman Larry Zeifman, would use.

Larry is a very interesting character. Like many of my friends in Thornhill or the GTA, he was in Israel at the time of the attack and he still is. Zeifman said he couldn’t bring himself to leave, and to quote Larry: “I said to my wife on” Saturday “night, I can’t leave ... these are our people, we have to stay to provide moral support. Our kids are here, they’re not going anywhere, there’s no way they would ever contemplate leaving.” This is pretty positive light—light over darkness—and Larry is a pretty good example of what it’s like to live in my community.

So how was this possible, and how did we live in a world that would perpetrate such evil? Israel is so far away, but is it really that far away? Israel is thousands of miles away on a map, but it’s not when you live in Thornhill. Yesterday, I actually googled the distance on my smart phone, and my smart phone advised that the distance between where we sit right now and Tel Aviv is 5,772 miles; this is the equivalent to 9,290 kilometres or 5,016 nautical miles—sounds like a fair distance away, doesn’t it? Or does it?

So, like many members of my community, they still have hearts that live not only in Thornhill but also in Israel. This connection could also extend to another home in Israel, very close family ties—brothers, sisters, children. You see, Israel is not that far away. And like my son’s friend in that living room, many of our Thornhill youth were, at that same moment, planning to go back to Israel, to protect Israel, to fight for democracy and protect its people, who include all spectrums of religions. See, Israel is not that far away.

I then went over to Chabad Flamingo—the flamingo, by the way, is another very large congregation with very similar ties to Israel. I attempted to console the people and spoke with their passionate leader, Rabbi Kaplan. Rabbi Kaplan leads the congregation in prayer and support, and he does this consistently, and he does this because Israel is not that far away.

Last weekend, I put the turkey in the freezer—there would be no celebration. We were not ready to take part in the usual style at Thanksgiving. I had no appetite. We were deflated. We were shocked.

I then decided to travel over to visit my friends at the Jewish Russian Community Centre, led by Rabbi Zaltzman. They, too, were in prayer mode.

The rabbi’s own daughter was in Israel, and I chatted with the congregants who so desperately wanted to help those people in Israel. They were making plans to bring supplies for the Israelis in need, including emergency food, essential supplies, trauma support and supplies to be shipped to Israel, because Israel is not that far away.

Last Thursday night, I visited Chabad Lubavitch at 770 Chabad Gate. This is a special place for our community. The address is significant because it represents 770, which is the street address of the world headquarters for the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, which is located in Brooklyn, New York. This building in Thornhill is representative of that Chabad and the Chabad-Lubavitch world movement, and we consider it to be an iconic site in Judaism. It is also adjacent to a strip mall that has been riddled with hateful anti-Semitic incidents for so many years. One happened over the weekend.

I went in and joined their evening session, as beautiful children played around the adults as we prayed for the souls of those who had been murdered in Israel. Rabbi Spalter is another strong leader. He leads a flock with long care and love. He was there with Rabbi Itchy Grossbaum—Rabbi Itchy, as I call him. He’s a very kind leader with a beautiful expanding family. I sat with the congregation as family member after family member talked about their life’s blessings, and their family members that were either about to serve or serving in the Israeli army, protecting the democratic nation of Israel for their future and, more importantly, for the family members ahead of them. To them, Israel is not that far away.

I have spoken to countless constituents, each with a connection to terror. Last week, I called one of our not-for-profit constituents, only to hear a very sad individual on the other side. She was crying. A family member was one of those held hostage by Hamas, yet to be released. She also has countless family members in Israel that have been under siege. For her, Israel is not that far away.

I grew up locally. Many of my friends and I went to York University. It was close and safe and offered a variety of courses. I loved campus life. In many years, we were delighted when my oldest chose York. It was close by, but at what cost? When you’re a Jewish student on campus at York, you learn very quickly that there are forces around you that will make you feel uncomfortable about your Jewish identity. I’ve heard this on countless occasions from constituents and students. Everyone I know has a story. Specific student unions don’t make the Jewish students feel very welcomed. It’s a very sad thing in a community of learning and vibrancy.

I remember a few years ago when a Jewish student group was holding a small Israeli event at York University. There were protesters outside that room. The protests turned a little upsetting for a parent. I was that parent, because my daughter was on campus. A group of student union protesters had gathered in an area outside that room, and that room became locked. My child was on campus that night, and that was a very scary night. My child was there; she wasn’t picking up the phone. What I went through until I could get through to her pales in comparison to what parents in Israel are now feeling—not knowing that their daughters and their sons are held hostage by terrorists; not knowing if they’ll come home.

Over the weekend, the family of a Canadian Israeli woman who was missing since the Hamas terrorists ambushed a music festival in southern Israel learned that she had died. Her name was Shir Georgy. She was only 22 years old. Canadian Ben Mizrachi was one of the 260 people gunned down by Hamas at the music festival in southern Israel—also 22 years old.

Canadian Israeli Adi Vital-Kaploun, 33, was killed by Hamas terrorists in her kibbutz near the Israeli border. Vital-Kaploun’s family said she died a hero after convincing her killers to spare her two young children and warning her father and her husband to stay hidden during the attack.

Then there’s Alexandre Look, who recently celebrated his 33rd birthday. He was amongst those who were killed while attending the music festival. Alexandre Look, who lived in Montreal, died a hero, his dad posted on Facebook on Monday. My understanding was that he found refuge with 30 other people in a bomb shelter. That bomb shelter did not have a door, and he barricaded it with his body.

The pain and the loss of not just Israeli blood but also Canadians is insurmountable, because Israel is not that far away. We look to our local communities over the course of the last week, and I reflect as I received the countless calls from scared York University students harassed by organizations that uphold values that are not inclusive and a joint statement from three student unions that support a recognized terrorist organization, promoting and glorifying violence against innocent Israeli citizens. This statement failed to acknowledge the death toll of those who had been savagely taken. This is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.

The glorification of a murderous terrorist group that has butchered innocent lives is vile. And I will take this one step further: We don’t expect any member of this House, regardless of the side they sit on, to justify terrorist attacks on thousands of innocent Israeli lives. An apology was eventually provided, but how does that saying go? When somebody shows you who they are, believe them when they show it to you the first time.

In the last several days, I’ve seen hate rallies celebrating the kidnapping and slaughtering of innocent Israeli people. That, too, is difficult was to watch. To quote our Premier, “These hate rallies are” just another painful reality and “painful reminder of the work left to do to stamp out anti-Semitism once and for all.” These rallies have no place in Ontario or Canada. You see, Israel is not that far away.

As a parent, I’m grateful to the Minister of Education for implementing mandatory Holocaust education in schools. As Winston Churchill used to say, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Right now, I’m thankful for many things in my community. I’m grateful for the extraordinary leadership in Thornhill and that of our Premier, who denounced this act of terrorism right out of the gate, no hesitation, no wait-and-see, no tactics, because, quite simply, it was the right thing to do. I’m thankful for my colleagues, who periodically check in with me and my riding to provide support and compassion for a bleeding community. And I’m thankful for York Regional Police for keeping us safer, and all GTA police forces, including Durham and Toronto and the OPP, and also including safety partners Hatzoloh and Shomrim, who are working around the clock for our community.

I want to thank the Premier for his powerful speech in support of Israel at Mel Lastman Square. There were 15,000 people in Mel Lastman Square, members of every community, not just those of the Jewish faith. I was proud to stand beside so many of my caucus colleagues, shoulder to shoulder.

Throughout its 75 years history, Israel has demonstrated endless strength and resilience, and although we’re not in Israel, when we stood at Mel Lastman Square, Israel was not that far away. I want to thank the United Jewish Appeal for moving quickly to bring this massive and extraordinary event into fruition, and thank the Premier, again, for his unwavering support when I requested that Niagara Falls be lit in blue and white to honour the lives of those lost to the hands of the Hamas—light over darkness.

There’s an anonymous man who’s sitting in the airport right now, and he’s paying for the tickets of any reservists that are flying back to Israel. These reservists leave behind their families and their homes and their comfort. Let’s not forget, Thornhill is donating its most precious gifts: our sons and our daughters. This man bought 250 tickets.

People coming together, caring for one another, protecting one another, supporting one another: I’m seeing it all right now. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a neighbour or a stranger, anyone, everyone is doing what they can to contribute and show support, fostering a sense of unity, and I think this is quite a piece of light that we can take with us.

I wholeheartedly support this motion. The reprehensible actions of the Hamas, the slaughter, the rape and the kidnapping of innocent lives in Israel, including Canadians, must be condemned. And I stand in support of Israel’s right to defend itself—full stop—because, in the words of my friend Chanie, “They can’t take our light away.” And as we gathered to symbolically light the candles marking Simchat Torah, one by one we lit them up. We prayed for those who had been taken away from us and for those suffering because Israel is not that far away.