Thank you to the member from Oakville North–Burlington for the question.

It’s good to be back in the House to share some of the amazing things that women are building across Ontario, from being 10,000 feet deep in a mine in Timmins and talking to the skilled women working underground, from discussions with the chambers of commerce and boards of trade in North Bay, in Brockville, Kitchener—just to name a few ridings that I’ve had the privilege to visit—I heard how women are being empowered and are helping to build a stronger Ontario together.

Alongside these women, our government is working to build women’s economic opportunities and increase their safety through financial independence. That’s why I was very pleased to recently announce the expansion and call for applications for the Women’s Economic Security Program which will bring us closer to that goal.

It’s time to build on these results. I’m very pleased to announce that our government is increasing the investment to this program by a half a million dollars, bringing our total investment this year to $5.5 million. That marks nearly a 10% increase to the program this year alone. This will allow more women across Ontario to access the supports they need to enter or re-enter the workforce, build rewarding careers and increase their safety through financial independence, because in Ontario we truly believe that when women succeed, Ontario succeeds.