Thank you to my colleague across for the question. Any death is too many. Any death is a tragedy. And as my friend opposite knows, we do not speak to an ongoing inquest. It would be completely inappropriate. She also knows, Mr. Speaker, that the purpose of an inquest is to determine the circumstances surrounding a death and, if appropriate, make recommendations that may prevent further deaths. Our government continuously works to make sure policies in corrections are in line with best practices.

Again, Mr. Speaker, this is a complex issue, and we cannot speak to an ongoing inquest.

I’ve seen it for myself as I’ve toured our correctional complexes: I have met with the native inmate liaison officers—the NILOs; I’ve met with the chaplains. Mr. Speaker, I stay close in contact with the OPSEU union representatives as well. And at the end of the day, our government is taking this matter seriously, and we will reduce, where possible, and eliminate inmate experiences in segregation conditions.

Speaker, Mr. Faqiri’s death demonstrates how harmful it is when mental illness is criminalized in our justice system.

Mr. Faqiri was held in solitary confinement while waiting to be assessed for mental health treatment. His family wants answers about why Mr. Faqiri was not transferred to a hospital earlier, why they weren’t able to visit him and what he may have experienced during his 11 days in custody.

Ontarians deserve systemic change in our justice system, Speaker, and people in mental health crisis deserve help, not violence. Aside from Mr. Faqiri’s family, racialized, Black, Indigenous communities across the province are closely monitoring the recommendation coming out of the coroner’s inquest.

To the Premier: What will this government do to take steps to address the deadly mix of systemic discrimination and mental health stigma in the justice and correctional systems?