Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

This morning we have with us in the public gallery the Crestwood Preparatory College school choir, from the riding of Don Valley East, to perform O Canada and God Save the King. Please remain standing and join them in the singing of our national and royal anthems.

Singing of the national anthem / Chant de l’hymne national.

Singing of the royal anthem / Chant de l’hymne royal.

On April 30, 2023, I was honoured to attend the Manotick Legion’s Youth Education awards ceremony, where I met Connor Yeomans. I presented Connor with an award for a poem he wrote for last year’s Manotick Legion Remembrance Day art and literature contest. His poem is entitled, “Poppy’s Blow in the Winter Snow.” Connor wrote this as a 12-year-old grade 7 student at St. Francis Xavier High School in Riverside South, in my riding of Carleton. I am extremely proud on behalf of the Manotick Legion and all students in the Carleton riding to share Connor’s poem with everyone.

The poem goes as follows:

Lives lost, at a big cost

High risk, high reward,

But for others high risk and nothing to show

For all who had their life on the life

Thank you for showing us how to really shine

For the soldiers who fought for our nation,

We wear a poppy to show our appreciation

When we were in tears

Soldiers had no fears

That is why

Poppy’s blow in the winter snow.

Congratulations, Connor. You make everyone in Carleton very proud.

On November 10, more than 60 London faith leaders, including Imam Twakkal, Rabbi Dressler, and Canon Kevin George, issued a message of unity, urging Londoners to stand together against rising hate crimes targeting both Jewish and Muslim communities. They called for compassion, peace and an end to hatred, asking Londoners to instead acknowledge the pain, loss, and anguish that so many are feeling.

Like many MPPs, I have spoken to members of both Muslim and Jewish communities in London since October 7. Parents are anxious about sending their kids to school. Muslims, especially if they wear the kaffiyeh or the hijab, worry about being attacked. Jews whose Star of David hangs over their doors fear their homes could be vandalized.

Last week’s guilty verdict in the Our London Family trial serves as a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the deadly consequences of violent acts of hate. Canadian chiefs of police are reporting unprecedented levels of Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-Arab hate crimes and incidents since October 7.

As elected officials, I call on each and every member of this House to follow the lead of London’s faith leaders. We must strongly denounce hate and work to heal division and polarization. As we all bear witness to the unbearable carnage and suffering in Gaza, I reiterate NDP calls for a ceasefire and the return of the hostages, so we can work toward a lasting peace in the Middle East.

I rise today to share a distressing story of one of my constituents, Laura, and her two autistic sons. After nine years in a basement apartment, they were served an N12 notice and suddenly evicted from their home. Laura is the sole provider for their family and faced incredible barriers in finding a new home.

Speaker, the rental market’s exorbitant demands pushed Laura and her sons away from their community. She was asked for extensive financial documentations, advance payments for up to a year and even to provide medical notes detailing her sons’ behaviours due to their autism, just to find a home. Laura’s history of timely payments—contributing substantially over $150,000 to her landlord’s mortgage while living in a basement—didn’t shield her from getting evicted.

Because Laura was unable to secure any affordable option in Toronto, she and her sons moved to Niagara Falls, leaving their community and their safety nets behind.

Speaker, this isn’t just Laura’s story; it’s a glimpse into the broken system. There are thousands of Ontarians, thousands of families struggling to find affordable places to live. So many small landlords are relying on rental income, struggling to keep up with the high rate of mortgages. Vulnerable tenants are facing impossible barriers to finding affordable housing. We are facing an enormous housing crisis across the city and the province.

The government must do better to safeguard tenants from unjust evictions and discriminatory rental practices. All Ontarians, regardless of their circumstances, deserve equitable access to safe and affordable housing.

On Friday, I co-sponsored the 15th annual Leeds Grenville Economic Development Summit. Speakers included Leclerc Foods, one of Canada’s leading food manufacturers, who, last year, announced a $100-million expansion of its North American operations in Brockville.

Another presenter was Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, one of the top tourism and hospitality employers in the region, while generating significant revenue for Gananoque and Leeds and the Thousand Islands as host communities.

Planning our Future Infrastructure update was from Enbridge, since natural gas has a key role in attraction and expansion of business.

Preparing for our Aging Community outlined the Maple View Landings project, one of the riding’s much-needed long-term-care homes.

Building an Appetite for Culinary Tourism showcased four businesses that are leading the way: Maison Maitland Cooking School and Villas, Pickle and Myrrh, Hall’s Apple Market and Rosie Yumski’s Fine Foods.

Our keynote was the Honourable David Piccini, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, who spoke about our government’s plan on building a stronger Ontario for all workers.

Finally, the Bill Thake Memorial Economic Development Leadership Award was presented to Joe Hudson of Burnbrae Farms. More than 80 years ago, Joe bought some laying hens for a high school project. This action would eventually transform the dairy farm into one of Canada’s largest egg producers.

Other nominees for this year’s award included Susan Alford, Judi Baril, Shelley Mitchell and Terry Wills.

I am pleased this morning to report that a Whitby resident’s leadership and dedication has set her apart in the world of technology. Carrie-Ann Williamson, the director of technology and innovation services at the town of Whitby, recently won the Info-Tech Research Group’s 2023 Chief Information Officer Award for Canadian leaders. Speaker, the Info-Tech Chief Information Officer Award recognizes yearly outstanding information-technology leaders for delivering exceptional value to their organizations and whose strategic initiatives and innovative approaches significantly elevated stakeholder satisfaction.

Carrie-Ann Williamson’s accomplishments bring pride not only to herself and family, but to all Whitby residents. Carrie-Ann’s excellence has established a new standard for technology leaders to aspire to not just in our province, but other parts of Canada.

Congratulations, Carrie, for your personal success, but also for elevating Whitby and Ontario’s reputation on the national stage.

I beg to inform the House that, in accordance with section 87 of the Legislative Assembly Act, the names of the following persons appointed to serve as alternates on the Board of Internal Economy have been communicated to me as Chair of the Board of Internal Economy:

The Honourable Andrea Khanjin, MPP, is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council from among the members of the executive council; and

Terence Kernaghan, MPP, is appointed by the caucus of the official opposition.

I will now ask members to please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

Over the past few weeks, the Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Woodstock chambers of commerce handed out their annual awards of excellence. These are given to local businesses and entrepreneurs who have made a positive impact in our community. I would like to congratulate each of the winners here today.

From the Ingersoll chamber: Ingersoll Music Academy; JTK Meat Shoppe; Emily Bula for the Youth Citizen of the Year Award; Denise Vyse for the Mark Warnick Citizen of the Year Award; and Ted Comiskey for the President’s Award.

From the Tillsonburg chamber: J.D. Lighting; 3E Power Services Ltd.; Solid Edge Wood Products; Grassmere Construction Ltd.; Armtec Inc.; Roselyn D’Ascania for the Community Service Award; Dave Martin and Shawn Winters for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award; and Brad Martin for the Esseltine Positive Change Award.

From the Woodstock chamber: Deep Purple Lavender Farm; Blue Cow Delivery; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oxford County; Maglin Site Furniture; Brickhouse Brewpub; Fore! Oxford; Cassandra Benard OC Realty Team; and Dance In Style Studio Inc.

To all the winners and nominees: Thank you for making Oxford a great place to live and grow. I wish you all the best for the years ahead.

Point of order.

The past several days were a whirlwind of galas, to the point that I somewhat lost my voice as of yesterday. On Thursday, I attended the Toronto Police Chief’s Gala. And on Friday, the Peel South Asian Collective Internal Support Network Gala—thank you to my great friend Minister Nina Tangri for inviting me. I have a lot of interest in what Peel is doing with community policing, so it was wonderful to attend. I was able to bring my good friend Officer Farhan Ali of the Toronto Police Service, who’s a champion for the Muslim community. On Saturday, I attended the Gujarati Cultural Association Diwali dinner.

I also want to extend a personal thank you to a small business owner in Cambridge, Nav, who owns Ritzi Collections. Attire for the South Asian gala was South Asian attire, and I had nothing to wear, because, of course, it requires an auntie or quantum physics to get a sari on. So at the time that the event had actually already started in Brampton, I flew into her store in Cambridge with a laundry basket full of saris and said, “Will you please put something on me?” In 45 minutes, Nav, Manjeet, Harpreet, Navdeep and Jasmeet had, in a scene reminiscent of Cinderella, whirled around me, custom-made and altered a blouse, pinned me into my sari, got me all accessorized and sent me out the door. Thank you so much for their generosity.

Point of order.

The 110th Grey Cup championship took over Hamilton last week, and it was a wild week indeed. Visitors came to our city from all across Canada, and they left knowing for sure that Hamilton knows how to throw a party.

The Grey Cup arrived in style with a naval escort aboard the HMCS Harry DeWolf, with an official arrival ceremony at the HMCS Star naval reserve. Our Grey Cup celebrations included a holiday for students; a free breakfast for fans; beer gardens, many official and unofficial; food trucks; a Christmas market; and live music up and down James Street North.

Saturday morning, I had the thrill of walking in the Santa Claus parade with MPP Monique Taylor. The streets were lined with tens of thousands of folks in the holiday spirit. Many, many CFL jerseys were on display, but of course, there was a sea of Ticat black and gold. To the absolute delight of hometown fans, Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence joined Mrs. Claus in the parade.

Then there was the sellout game between the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. And what a fantastic game: The Bombers led after the half, but Montreal took the lead with only 11 seconds on the clock. I learned last night that 12 out of 16 of the last Grey Cup games have been decided in the last three minutes, proving without a doubt that there’s no football on the planet more exciting than Canadian football.

Hamiltonians may be disappointed that the Cats weren’t in it this year, but next year, in BC, the Cats will be there. Oskee Wee Wee!

Next week, on November 27, Sikhs across the world will be celebrating Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the 10 Sikh gurus. Guru Nanak Dev Ji fought against discrimination and prejudice and preached a message of equality for all, regardless of religion, background or gender. Gurpurab holds a profound significance for millions of Sikhs across the world, making it not just a religious celebration but a time of reflection on unity and service to humanity.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s teachings of compassion, equality and selfless service continue to aspire us and guide us. They continue to remind us that diversity is our strength, and that we all have a role to play to make our world a more just and inclusive place.

Speaker, the five key principles of his teachings are vand chakkō—share whatever God has given to you with others and help those who are in need; kirat karō, meaning making an honest living; naam japo—chant the name of the true God; sarbat da bhalla—ask for everyone’s happiness; and speak the truth without fear.

Celebrating Gurpurab, gurdwaras and homes around the world will be decorated with flowers and lights to commemorate this auspicious day. From my family to yours, I wish you all a joyous Gurpurab filled with love, peace and prosperity. May the spirit of Guru Nanak Dev Ji continue to guide us on the path of righteousness and compassion.

Happy Gurpurab to everyone celebrating.

The worsening housing crisis is the number one issue that constituents bring to my office. It’s also the primary concern I hear knocking on doors in Kitchener—young people wondering if they will ever be able to own a home, while struggling to pay the rent; minimum wage workers with two full-time jobs just to pay the rent; people on ODSP living in legislated poverty, finding it impossible to find an affordable home; others sleeping in tents as the temperatures drop below 0.

Speaker, I’m calling on the government to stop prioritizing speculators and start building homes ordinary people can afford in the communities they know and love—by passing my bills to legalize building gentle density and missing-middle housing; to work with us to provide operating funds for permanent supportive housing projects, like the 32 homes for the Kindle project that’s ready to open in Guelph soon.

Instead of spending $3 billion for a bank, use that money to support non-profits and co-ops to build deeply affordable homes. Bring in real rent control. Drive speculation out of the housing market. And permanently reduce home heating costs by funding a building retrofit program to help people save money by saving energy.

Greens have solutions to the housing crisis, and we’re asking you to work with us to get it done.

It really is my privilege to introduce members from Takeda’s patient value and access team who are visiting Queen’s Park today. Takeda is a 240-year-old global R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan.

Thank you for the important work that you are doing in the life sciences space. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Well, I’ll tell the Leader of the Opposition where the money is going. Since we’ve been in office, we’ve registered over 63,000 nurses. Last year was a record—over 15,000 nurses, and there are 30,000 in the hopper. But they voted against that legislation. They voted against building a new medical university up in Peel.

As a matter of fact, our backlog of surgeries has dropped by 25,000 patients—but they vote against that as well. They vote against building 50 new or additions to hospitals across the province, to a tune of $50 billion. They voted against that as well. They don’t believe in fixing the health care system. What they believe in is the status quo. Under the previous two governments, the Liberals and propped up by the NDP—not spending. As a matter of fact, they fired nurses when they were working together.

We’re hiring thousands and thousands of nurses. That’s what we’re doing with the health care dollars.

Interjections.

I’d like to give a very warm welcome to my friend and former colleague Margo Duncan, who was here in this building at Queen’s Park working with three different MPPs, and is a community activist in the Lambton area and with Heritage York. Welcome.

I appreciate the question.

As the Leader of the Opposition highlighted, this is something that was in the public accounts of the province. It is not a secret or something that was hidden—just the opposite.

At the same time, we are continuing to focus on those things that matter to the people of the province of Ontario; that is creating jobs, building more homes. We are seeing really extraordinary results across the province of Ontario. Some 700,000 people have the dignity of a job who didn’t have that when we came to office. We’re going to continue on that path of building more jobs and a bigger, better, stronger province of Ontario for the people of the province.

At the same time, we’re going to continue to do what is important, focusing on creating jobs in the province of Ontario, building a strong economy, and really doubling down on ensuring that we can build more homes across Ontario.

I’m very glad to see today that the mayor of St. Thomas is here. That is a mayor who has undertaken extraordinary work to remove obstacles so that we could bring a massive amount of jobs to his community, so that we could build homes, economic growth. That is the type of leadership that we need across the province of Ontario from our municipal partners. I’m really happy that His Worship is here. We will continue to work with Mayor Preston so that can ensure that not only St. Thomas but all parts of Ontario can experience the exact same growth that they’re going to have in St. Thomas. Thousands of jobs, economic growth—it’s good for the people of the province of Ontario.

To respond, the government House leader.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario is here today. They also have a reception later on this evening. I’d like to welcome, from my riding of Waterloo, Shara Bierman. She’s the central west director, and she represents Waterloo.

Welcome to your House.