I want to thank my colleague from Humber River–Black Creek for bringing this bill forward. I know my colleague has Serbian roots, so this bill is very dobra—and I hope I said that all right.

It’s an honour and privilege to rise as one of the governing PC caucus members. Other members that will be speaking from our side, I believe, are the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills, the member for Scarborough–Agincourt and the member for Oakville North–Burlington.

Ontario is a place where it doesn’t matter where you come from, who you love, how you choose to worship God—everybody belongs in Ontario, and it’s the responsibility of members of this House to make sure that we are standing up for that right.

When we speak about a lot of the communities, many people who came to Ontario or to Canada for a better life, they come from places where practising their faith isn’t something we can take for granted. We’re used to the right to worship and the right to worship freely, and it’s easy to forget sometimes that if we don’t defend that right, if we don’t fight for that right every single day as lawmakers, as citizens, that right may no longer exist. It does here in Canada, and bills like this brought forward by my colleague help to defend that right and ensure that right.

We know that in Ontario we’re home to over half a million Orthodox Christians. I think my colleague said a million, we estimate, in Canada. The Orthodox Christian community is one that’s been coming to Canada for over a hundred years. I’m very lucky in my own riding, in Brampton North, we have the Archangel Michael and St. Tekla church, a Coptic Orthodox church that the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills introduced me to once upon a time a few years ago, and I have the pleasure of going every Christmas and most of the Easters; I’ll make sure I don’t miss Easter this year. I did miss it last year, but I made it for Christmas. It’s such a vibrant, wonderful community. Dare I say, just a gorgeous, beautiful church. If you guys ever have a chance to get out to Mayfield and Highway 10 in Brampton North, I’ll bring you by Archangel Michael and St. Tekla. It’s a gorgeous church.

We have a lot to be thankful for to our Orthodox Christian community. One member that I know the sponsoring member cares deeply about being Nikola Tesla, who is, of course, the man who brought electricity to the world. Many of us would have seen the statue at Niagara Falls. Nikola also left his mark on Canada with a strong contribution, developing the first hydroelectric power plant in the world, at Niagara Falls.

Now, we know Ontario is a diverse place, home to many. I think by voting in favour of this legislation, colleagues—I certainly intend to—we’re sending a strong message to our Orthodox Christian community that we see them, they matter, they have friends here at Queen’s Park. So let’s all do it together.

First, I want to thank my colleague the member for Humber River–Black Creek for bringing us together on this bill. You deserve a lot of credit, sir.

And I want to thank everyone who has come down today to support this bill. You’ve been generous with your time, with your support, and I think it’s very clear, even from the opening remarks here, that your emotion, your commitment is going to carry the day. I think I can say comfortably there’s a pretty good chance the government will vote in favour.

Interjection.

It is timely. It’s the right moment to recognize the contribution of the Orthodox Church to the culture of this country.

I will, of course, surprise no one when I say that my focus will be on the Greek Orthodox church. My riding, Toronto–Danforth, is home to Greektown, still a very large Greek population, and also home to a number of Orthodox churches, the largest Greek ones being St. Irene Chrysovalantou—

Interruption.

I want to say to those of you who have perhaps visited the Danforth from time to time, you’ve seen restaurants, but there’s a whole culture that’s anchored in the Greek Orthodox church that goes on behind the scenes. The actual Greek businesses reflect that, but there’s a deeper root. And the rhythms of that community, of our community, are reflected in the baptisms and the weddings and the funerals that take place at those Greek Orthodox and other Orthodox churches.

On Christmas, on Good Friday, on Orthodox Easter, you can see the impact of the church on the day-to-day life.

For those who have not had the experience, on the evening of Good Friday, of going for a procession through the streets with the Epitaphios and the profound impact it has on those who are in the procession and those who are watching—very, very impressive and very, very moving.

As you are all aware—but I want to get it on the record—the Orthodox church traces its lineage back to the Apostolic community. Early followers embarked on a mission to spread the teachings of Christ across the world. Their efforts were tireless and led to the establishment of churches in the Balkans and the Middle East during the first century AD. These ancient churches formed the bedrock of the Orthodox tradition.

During the first eight centuries of Christian history, the Byzantine Empire played a pivotal role. The capital, Constantinople, emerged as a vital centre for Christianity. The Greek language flourished, becoming the medium for theological writings, liturgical practices and doctrinal development. The Byzantine legacy profoundly shaped the Greek Orthodox church, providing the foundational patterns that endure to this day.

The Greek Orthodox church is rooted in Greek culture, and it’s fair to say that Greek culture is rooted in the church. The Greek Orthodox church, because of that interaction, played a pivotal role in the preservation of national identity, the development of Greek society and the resurgence of Greek nationalism.

For those who were here on the declaration of independence, the start of the war of independence for Greeks, people know that the Greeks lived under the very oppressive dark rule of the Ottomans for 400 years—heavy taxation, forced religious conversions, controlled movements and, heaviest of all, the seizure of children for the Ottoman military, the Janissary.

Saint Cosmas of Aetolia, while preaching throughout mainland Greece, comforted the Greek people and encouraged the opening of churches and schools because education was valued by the Orthodox faith, and because people knew if you were going to keep the spirit of the Hellenes alive, the Greek Orthodox church alive, you had to have those schools. Secret or open, they had to exist. The church was vital to keeping Hellenism alive through those four dark centuries, and then it was vital to ending that darkness.

On March 25, 1821, Bishop Paleon Patron Germanos raised the flag of the Greek revolution at the Monastery of Agia Lavra. The day of the Annunciation had been chosen as the day of the official start of the Greek revolution by the leader of the Filiki Eteria, Alexander Ypsilantis. The importance of the religious holiday and the blessing of Bishop Germanos emboldened the Greek people to fight for their freedom. The intertwining between Greek culture and the Greek Orthodox church was profound.

Greek Orthodoxy extends beyond religious practice. It is a guardian of Greek identity. The Greek Orthodox church stands as a testament to unwavering faith, cultural continuity and the enduring legacy of the Apostles.

Let us honour this rich heritage with the passage of this bill and appreciate the profound impact it has had on our world.

I would like to thank the member for Humber River–Black Creek for sponsoring Bill 167, and thank the member from Brampton North for leading our discussion on Bill 167, Orthodox Christian Week Act.

As a government, we take pride in demonstrating our commitment to celebrating these important initiatives by passing a number of bills similar to this one for the other communities that have also done so much for our province. As Ontario is home to Canada’s largest Orthodox Christian community, it seems only fitting that we now move to designate a time to reflect and celebrate all the ways in which Orthodox Christians have helped shape our province.

It is my honour to stand up and support a bill which has a profound impact on a large number of Ontarians. I personally have a great affinity to the Orthodox Church. I am proud that my family roots are in two segments of the Orthodox Church: Armenian Orthodox as well as Greek Orthodox. My maternal grandmother is Greek Orthodox, and my grandfather is Armenian Orthodox. They are survivors of two genocides: the Armenian and the Greek genocides. My ancestors paid the ultimate price to preserve their Orthodox faith and then pass it to my generation.

My riding of Scarborough–Agincourt has the vibrant churches of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. The two Armenian Orthodox churches are not far away from my riding. In addition, a large number of the congregation of the above-mentioned three churches reside in Scarborough–Agincourt. It is always spiritually fulfilling to attend Christmas, Easter and other masses in all three churches.

Madam Speaker, the Armenian Orthodox Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox Church. It is one of the most ancient Christian institutions. In 301 AD, the kingdom of Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion. According to tradition, the church originated in the missions of Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus of Edessa in the first century. St. Gregory the Illuminator is the patron saint of the church.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem was established in the seventh century. The presence of Armenians in the Holy Land extends back to the earliest period of the church. According to historians, the Armenian Orthodox Church was the first Christian church to initiate the tradition of pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

It’s a pleasure to speak to this bill creating Orthodox Christian Week. I want to congratulate the member from Humber River–Black Creek for putting this bill forward.

These bills are very important. They’re very important because we need to recognize and acknowledge the diversity that’s amongst us. I’m a Roman Catholic. I went to Catholic schools. I didn’t really begin to understand Orthodox Christianity until I became a politician—that shouldn’t be. We live in communities. In my community, there are people from 125 different countries. They speak 90 languages, and there are dozens of faiths. And our children are together—they play together; they go to school together. We all live together. So understanding and knowing the rich traditions and beliefs of the other are really important.

I want to thank everyone who is here today for coming here to support the member from Humber River–Black Creek, but most importantly for giving your children the gift of faith. That’s something that’s really very important in this world. To uphold that, to celebrate that, and to be proud of your heritage and your faith is something very special, and I want to congratulate you for that.

I’m from Ottawa South, and I only have one Orthodox cathedral in my riding: St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral. It’s a place that I’ve been going to for years for a whole bunch of different reasons, but the one that really sticks out is—and it happens at many Orthodox communities and Orthodox churches—they have a festival every year, the Lebanese festival in Ottawa. It’s a massive festival. Actually, I put forward a bill very similar to celebrate Lebanese heritage month, because I believed that was important. I always say, with these festivals, they combine the five Fs, and I hope I can remember them: Faith, food, friends, family, and fun—not necessarily in that order, but faith always comes first. I’d just like to give them a shout-out right now, because it’s in my riding.

Father Nektarios and the Very Reverend Ghattas Hajal, thank you for the work that you’ve done in our community to support things like the children’s hospital and the heart institute, and having a festival every year that brings people together.

My mom passed away last year. She would go to every festival. She would go to the Ukrainian Orthodox festival. she would go to the Greek Orthodox festival. We’d have to take her out all the time, and then when she couldn’t get out of the house, we had to get the food and then bring it back. It was something really central to her. She was a person of deep faith.

Again, we’re Catholics; I was going to say we prefer bingo—but not as much anymore.

So here’s the thing, and this is why it’s important for us to celebrate and recognize Orthodox churches and all religions: We live in a country—and when I say 125 countries, 90 languages, dozens of faiths, we just accept that; we embrace it. We don’t always know as much as we should know. But people can practise their faith. There are a lot of places in the world where people have to hide their faith because they fear for their lives. I think it’s important that our children know and understand that, because they don’t know anything different. Go into our schools, and everybody is there. That just doesn’t happen everywhere.

So creating an Orthodox Christian Week, recognizing the rich traditions and the role that these faith communities play in our community, and the struggles that they have and had that made them come here, that made them immigrate here—I think that’s why it’s important, too. I don’t think we can forget the struggle that happened, or the struggles that are happening right now in too many places in the world.

I want to thank you for your time, Speaker.

Again, thank you so much for being here and for supporting the member from Humber River–Black Creek.

Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my colleague the MPP for Humber River–Black Creek, as everyone else has, for bringing forth this bill to recognize Orthodox Christian Week in Ontario. This bill serves to recognize the meaningful contributions that the Orthodox Church and Orthodox Christians have made to the province of Ontario, and it’s wonderful to look across and see so many members of the Orthodox Christian clergy and community joining us here this evening.

Both the member from Brampton North and the member from Ottawa South said that we’re fortunate in this country to be able to practise our faith. It made an impression on me, because while they were saying that, I was looking at the members in the gallery and thinking about what it would be like in other countries to be able to know that not only could you practise your faith, but you could come to the assembly where politicians speak, and they’d speak about having Orthodox Christian Week in the province where you live, and what that means.

I want to thank, as well—unable to come here in person—the Orthodox Christians who come from my riding of Sudbury and call Sudbury home. I want to take the opportunity to thank Orthodox churches that strengthen, support and contribute meaningfully to my riding: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, St. Mary and St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church, and St. Volodymyr Orthodox Church, which is now 85 years young—that was a church I used to walk past on the way to school.

This bill is a wonderful opportunity to formally provide an annual recognition of the distinct faiths and cultures of Orthodox Christians. This bill means a time to learn about and recognize the history of Orthodox Christians, both around the world and here in Ontario; a time to acknowledge that Orthodox Christians in certain parts of the world still face threats and persecution today; a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions that have been made over the past century; a time to hear the stories, to share the stories. It’s a time to engage with members of the Orthodox Christian community.

Here in Ontario, as well as all of Canada, our diversity is our strength, and our province rightfully honours many diverse cultures and faiths, ethnicities and languages. Orthodox Christians are an important part of this wonderful diversity. It’s time to formally acknowledge the distinct faith and culture of Orthodox Christians, this year and every year.

I’d like, again, to thank the MPP for Humber River–Black Creek for his outreach and for his passion in bringing this bill forward. I think most of us saw his son running through the building. I think it’s a proud moment for both the son and the father in this, in seeing it.

Most especially, I want to thank the many members here with us today in the chamber, and the thousands of Orthodox Christians across Ontario.

I spoke with the member earlier about the bill and why he brought it forward, and he was humble about it. He said, “It’s not about me; it’s about the people we represent, the people we see here.” All of us on the floor are public servants, and I think that’s a good reflection of who he is. This bill isn’t about him or any of us who are speaking today. The bill is about you—your history, your stories and your faith.

So we hope—or in a room like this, we have faith—that with the collective support of all of our members, Orthodox Christian Week can be proclaimed here in Ontario.

I would like to thank my colleague from Humber River for bringing forward this piece of legislation.

It is an honour to conclude the government’s remarks on the second reading debate of Bill 167, the Orthodox Christian Week Act.

This bill is close to my heart. As many of you might know, I am a Coptic Orthodox Christian, and I’m proud to be a member of this community. I’m proud to be the first elected parliamentarian in Canadian history of Coptic origin.

As the member of Mississauga–Erin Mills, I am proud to say that Mississauga is home to one of the largest Orthodox Christian communities anywhere in Ontario, from St. Mary and St. Athanasius Coptic church and the Canadian Coptic Centre and another six Coptic churches, Coptic Christians come as the largest Orthodox community of Mississauga. But that’s not it; there are more: Prophet Elias Greek church, Armenian church, St. Ilija Macedonian church, St. Mary’s Antiochian church, Ado-Remerea Romanian church, Mar Elias Syrian church, All Serbian Saints church, St. Peter’s Syriac church, St. Gregorios Indian church—all Orthodox churches. They have not only kept their faith for thousands of years, but also preserved their culture and traditions, passing their teachings from generation to generation. The Coptic Church, as an example of that, preserved the Coptic language till our date today.

Whether it’s Palm Sunday, Good Friday or attending the night of the Apocalypse in the church—each with distinguished traditions that I have kept to this day—and ends with the resurrection of Christ and greetings for one another: “Ekhrestos Anesti,” “Alithos Anesti” or, in Coptic, “Be’khrestos Aftonf,” “Khen O Methmi Aftonf,” which means “Christ is risen—indeed He is Risen.”

Mr. Speaker, this bill, which recognizes the long-standing history of the community and its rich cultural traditions, is an important step to show our support and appreciation for the over 550,000 Orthodox Christians who call our province home, and for all they have done and continue to do to build a stronger and more vibrant Ontario.

If passed, this bill will not only give the community the acknowledgment they deserve, but will ensure that Ontarians, for years and generations to come, will remember all the ways in which the Orthodox Christian community have helped shape our province into everything it is today.

I am proud to have had the opportunity to rise today and to show my support for this important bill alongside my colleagues and to reaffirm our commitment to celebrating the diversity and inclusivity that is central to who we are as Ontarians.

It’s an incredible honour to be able to stand in the Legislature today and speak on the bill brought forward by the member for Humber River–Black Creek, Orthodox Christian Week Act.

Welcome to all the people in the galleries.

I’m not of the Orthodox faith, but two summers ago, one of the greatest experiences in my life happened in a Greek Orthodox church: My grandson was baptized in a Greek Orthodox church in Lebanon, and I was there. I often think about that day—how our family was welcomed, how my grandson was welcomed into your faith, and how it truly is a world faith. It’s high time that it’s recognized here in Ontario for the contributions you have made.