I want to thank the minister and the parliamentary assistant for bringing forth this legislation. It is extremely necessary and going to be a real game-changer in our agricultural sector. I want to thank you for having the consultations in Pembrooke as well. They were well attended and very, very helpful and informative.

I know there are number of things there that are real game-changers: the additional seats at the universities, the $50,000 allowance to encourage more veterinarians in rural and remote areas, but I want to focus more on the enhancement and expansion of the authorities of veterinary technicians. I see these as the nurse practitioners in our agricultural field now, where we’re understanding that there just aren’t enough doctors, so to speak, but we can give some additional authority to some other people that can be tremendously helpful.

I would ask the PA if you could expand on just how important and significant this change is going to be and what it’s going to mean to our agricultural sector.

I’ve been listening for the last hour to the presentation on the new bill. When we talk about animals, governments have come a long way. History tells us, where I come from, the former department of lands and forests would come in and kill our sled dogs. These are government officials that used to do that. That is for us to starve, right, so we don’t continue our ways of life.

But this is 2024. Where I come from, we have this term, “reservation dogs,” “reserve dogs” or “rez dogs.” Sometimes they’re overpopulated, and we don’t have access to veterinarians on-reserve. How will this bill ensure that the people in Kiiwetinoong and fly-in First Nations have access to veterinary services?

My question is to the PA. I have two very, very spoiled Australian shepherds. They’re like people to me. I was just wondering how this bill will affect the veterinary techs and the veterinarians and how it will help my animals live longer and be more successful in providing—I’m going to say entertainment, because that’s what it is.

I listened intently to the remarks from the minister and from the parliamentary assistant.

We are largely in favour of this bill. It lays out ground rules for the regulation of veterinarians and regulation of vet techs—very important. But there’s—and this is a legitimate question—a carve-out for chiropractors. I didn’t hear it in the remarks, so I’d like if we could have an explanation of why there’s a carve-out for chiropractors, which seems to be a human designation as opposed to a veterinary animal designation.

I’d like to start off my remarks by perhaps ruining the suspense and saying that we will be in favour of this bill, not only for some of the measures that are included, but for the way the bill itself has been presented and—I said this in committee on other legislation—the fact that this has had extensive consultation among all stakeholders. We also consulted the stakeholders, and not everyone agrees with everything, but everyone who was interested got to have their input, and that’s really important; I give credit where credit is due and criticism where criticism is due. This has not always occurred in some of the other bills that this government has presented, and as a result, some of those bills have had to be rescinded. We are in favour of the content of the bill, but just the way it’s done—this is the way, when you’re developing legislation, that it should be done: Talk to the stakeholders, bring forward a comprehensive bill on one core issue or related issues. I’m not trying to make a pun here: There’s no poison pill in this vet bill, and that’s important.

Regardless of where we sit in this House, we are all here for the same reason: to make better legislation, to modernize legislation, to create new legislation. We are all parts of the partisan political process, but at the end of the day, we all have the same goal.

I believe that this bill is an example. I just want to repeat myself that this bill is an example, and I give credit to the minister and parliamentary assistant and their staff and to all the people who took the time to consult on the way this bill was presented. There might be changes needed in the future. We are all human; no one is perfect, and no piece of legislation is perfect either.

This is a very important piece of legislation. When you’re talking about veterinary medicine and the people who take care of our animals and our companion animals, our service animals and agricultural livestock—and actually, some of us have experience with all three. It’s hard to describe, but there’s a difference. Everyone here knows, but maybe some people don’t know—if there’s anybody watching this—that I’m a farmer by trade, a dairy farmer for 35 years. So we had livestock, and we had a very close relationship with our vets. But we also have pets and had a different relationship with the vet with pets.

I’m going to be fairly—“blunt” is the wrong word, but realistic. Often, a farmer has a different relationship with an animal than a pet owner. For a time, my wife—we took over a service dog that was—someone with a wheelchair had a dog; it wasn’t really a service dog. The dog was very well trained, but the dog became too much to handle. From that experience, we learned that someone who has a service animal has an incredibly different relationship than just a pet—not “just” a pet—or livestock. It was totally different—a dependence. To truly understand the impact that veterinary medicine has on everyone’s lives, particularly on people who practise it and the people who work with animals, but on everyone’s lives, you have to understand that.

It is incredibly hard to become a vet. Incredibly hard, and some would say perhaps too hard. Again, I’m being really—for many years, we haven’t—and I give credit where credit is due: There are going to be now more seats to teach vets. I think we need more, but we have started. The bar is incredibly high to be a vet, and it needs to be. It’s an incredibly skilled job.

But the bar, it doesn’t need to be lowered. This isn’t in this bill; I just want to say this. It doesn’t necessarily need to be lowered, but it needs to be shifted perhaps a bit, because it’s not just—and particularly for rural vets, livestock vets; actually, most rural areas are underserviced, because when you have a lot of rural, you don’t have a lot of houses. You have less people, and there’s a reason.

But the practice of being a vet or a vet tech—and I’ll get to them this afternoon. There’s much different treating an animal in a veterinary clinic in a city or a town than there is calving a cow at 25 below, 20 miles outside of town. That’s a reality. That’s something that, unless you’ve grown up or been exposed to that—a lot of people who are incredible vets look at doing that and, quite frankly, they pick small animal—

Further questions?

Thank you to the member for that very relevant question. That whole continuum of care has to include farmers, it has to include the people that—it could be pet owners. Sometimes, modernizations include that continuum, using technology and using the people that have some experience, some training through different mediums—it could be through technology or through a veterinarian technician—to triage, care for and provide that whole wraparound level of care to extend that, especially in farming communities, remote communities and underserviced areas.

Sometimes the veterinarian could be an hour- or a two-hour drive away while there is an animal emergency. To have someone in close proximity to provide that care, under professional guidance, is critical. This act addresses that.

Now they have enabling legislation to reach out to connect to someone with the care and say, “We don’t have a vet on hand right now. We have an animal emergency,” or “We have some concerns for the safety of animals.” I can connect to someone with a level of care to provide that care to the animal and be fully protected under the law. Thank you for the question.

This enabling legislation, first and most importantly, enables veterinary technicians to practise a level of care to the full scope of their training and experience, where sometimes in the past it was limited. Little procedures that a vet tech can certainly take care of for your pets and for my pets had to be under the care and direct supervision of a veterinarian, who may be more apt to be taking care of more serious surgical concerns. So this enabling legislation allows everyone to do the care and to practise that care to the full scope of their training.

That’s what the college regulates, and that’s where the legislation takes us. Other areas of care are important. That’s one component, but I don’t think it’s really critical to the bigger conversation of advancing and modernizing animal care.

The backlog at Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board has expanded to over 53,000 cases. In Windsor West and across the province, we’re amidst the most severe housing and homelessness crisis in recent history.

Every day, the Premier gives his commitment to providing shelter for the people of Ontario, yet year after year, tenants and landlords alike are left waiting for justice. Under this Conservative government, the wait-list has quadrupled. Since 2018 when this Premier formed government, the tribunal has handled fewer applications every single year.

This backlog is a testament to a system spiralling out of control, as highlighted in the report by Tribunal Watch Ontario. Tenants facing maintenance disputes endure extremely long waits of over 14 months for resolution, while landlords struggling with rent non-payment eviction cases are left hanging for more than a year. This is unacceptable.

The report highlights that the root of this issue lies in the politicization of the LTB by this Conservative government favouring political appointments over experienced professionals who have knowledge in the field to make decisions fairly and quickly.

Every day, my office hears from tenants and landlords about the serious consequences of this, with individuals having to bear significant personal costs: lost housing, poor living conditions for tenants and significant financial hardships, particularly impacting small landlords.

My Ontario NDP colleagues and I continue to call on this government to implement much-needed reforms of the LTB as suggested by the Ombudsman. It’s time to ensure that all Ontarians receive the justice and relief they so desperately need.

It was a pleasure speaking about my two pets today. I’m sure Ginger and Scout are watching us right now on TV if Lassie isn’t on.

Madam Speaker, with much pride, I share with you some very good news from a school in my riding today. The International School of Cambridge was recently ranked by the Fraser Institute as one of the top schools in Ontario. The school, which is owned and operated by the Islamic Centre of Cambridge, was one of 13 schools in the province to receive a perfect score of 10. As such, the school was ranked number one among 2,975 schools across Ontario.

The International School of Cambridge, formerly known as the Islamic School of Cambridge, was founded in 1992 and is attended by approximately 300 students enrolled in grade 8 all the way down to junior kindergarten. The school attracts students not only from Cambridge, but also from Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Brantford.

Mohammad Darr, chairman of the Islamic Centre of Cambridge, had this to say about the school’s success: “We’re really excited. It is a matter of great pride for us. We maintain high standards of teaching and quality facilities as the reasons that this school stands out among others.”

The Fraser Institute’s Report Card on Ontario’s Elementary Schools ranks public, Catholic and independent schools based on nine academic indicators derived from the province-wide test results.

Congratulations to the students, teachers and administrators of the International School of Cambridge on a job well done.

Today, I’d like to highlight the importance of our local dairy farmers and dairy producers. On Monday, I attended the Stormont Dairy Producers annual general meeting in my riding. I’m really good at selling ice cream cones, but I’m no expert in dairy farming or agriculture. What I do know is that our local dairy farmers work long hours day and night to ensure our communities have high-quality dairy products.

At the AGM, I learned that Ontario is the second-largest dairy producer in Canada, accounting for over 32% of total dairy farm cash receipts in Canada. I also learned that dairy farming is the largest sector of Ontario agriculture, and as per the DFO 2023 Annual Report, Ontario is home to 3,213 dairy producers. That’s pretty impressive.

Next month, I will be attending the Dairy Cares event in my riding. Dairy Cares is an important event for our community where local dairy farmers, stakeholders and agribusinesses from across SD&G come together to celebrate and thank our three local hospitals: the Cornwall Community Hospital, the Winchester District Memorial Hospital and Glengarry Memorial Hospital. All funds raised at the Dairy Cares event go to these three hospitals. Last year, the event raised $187,488. I’m excited to know how much they can raise this year.

You meet many people in your life, and for whatever reason, some of them just stick with you. One person in my life is the Honourable Consiglio Di Nino. Sometimes it feels like the forces of the world wanted us to get to know each other. He was in the Senate when I was in kindergarten on the opposite side of the world. As a young activist, full of passion and energy, I was restless to change the world, and he was the wise sage with wisdom and encouragement along the way. He was the first person who told me I should run for office. Years later, I would seek public office—except as an NDP candidate. Even so, he endorsed me, donated to my campaign, and he has always championed me. I would go on to become the MPP for Parkdale–High Park, representing the very neighbourhood he grew up in as a young Italian immigrant boy.

He was a Parkdale kid. He worked at the TD bank at the corner of Jameson and Queen, and he went to school up the street on Roncesvalles, at St. Vincent de Paul.

Inspired by his mentors, he has lived with the motto “Life is about what you give, not what you get.” And he has given so much. He was a volunteer chair of the Harbourfront Corp.; president of the Canadian Italian business association; president of Scouts Canada, Toronto region; a founder of Villa Charities, and so on.

Most important to me, he has been the strongest voice for the Tibetan people in Canada. As someone who enjoyed high-altitude hiking, he went to Tibet and visited the Jokhang temple in Lhasa, the capital. While there, a monk took a big risk and secretly handed him a piece of paper with a message, and the message was to tell the world what was going on in Tibet. And Consiglio Di Nino has carried that message since that day, for over 30 years.

Con—or Uncle Con, as many call him—you’ve changed and shaped lives, including mine. Thank you for everything.

Nous célébrons aujourd’hui la Journée internationale de la Francophonie, marquant une journée très importante pour les Franco-Ontariennes et Franco-Ontariens et les francophones de partout à travers le Canada.

La Journée internationale de la Francophonie a été créée en 1988 et elle est célébrée à chaque année le 20 mars, avec pour objectif le partage et l’appréciation de la langue française et de la culture francophone. Aujourd’hui, plus de 300 millions de francophones vivent sur les cinq continents. L’Ontario compte plus de 620 000 francophones, ce qui en fait la plus grande communauté francophone du Canada hors Québec. Dans l’ensemble, plus de 1,5 million d’Ontariens parlent français.

La journée de la Francophonie est l’occasion de se rassembler en tant que communauté et d’honorer la langue française. Et en 2020, monsieur le Président, ma collègue la membre de Mississauga-Centre a eu l’honneur de proposer des amendements à la Loi sur l’emblème franco-ontarien, afin de désigner le drapeau franco-ontarien comme emblème officiel de l’Ontario. Il a reçu la sanction royale et est devenu loi le 24 septembre 2020, et le drapeau franco-ontarien est devenu le huitième symbole officiel de l’Ontario.

Notre gouvernement reconnaît la contribution inestimable de la langue française à la vitalité et au succès de l’Ontario. Nous avons démontré cet engagement envers les francophones en modernisant la Loi sur les services en français pour la première fois en plus de 35 ans, monsieur le Président.

En tant que membre de la circonscription avec la plus grande présence francophone en Ontario, c’est avec beaucoup d’enthousiasme que je célèbre cette journée avec vous tous. Que vous fassiez partie de la communauté francophone ou que vous aspiriez à apprendre la langue, cette journée est pour vous.

On Sunday morning, a devastating fire ripped through the Ward’s Island clubhouse on the Toronto Islands. The clubhouse was built by the islanders in 1937-38 and for generations has been a gathering place for the island community. A white clapboard structure, it housed the Island Cafe, which was a favourite stop for a delicious meal and good company on the lawn near the ferry dock. The thing I’ll remember about the clubhouse was the screen door, because there’s something about the slamming of a screen door that just speaks of summer, and it’s not something that you would expect to hear in downtown Toronto.

Many irreplaceable archives were lost, including a handwritten list of islanders who served in World War II and photos of the community dating back to the 1930s.

The island community is a village and one of the tightest-knit communities in Toronto. Last night, the community gathered to mourn the loss of the beloved clubhouse. They sang, tied ribbons on the protective fencing, held lanterns from the Shadowland Theatre and encircled the ashes of the building to say goodbye.

While people are gathering the memories of the old clubhouse, they are beginning to think and talk about rebuilding, about creating a new gathering place for generations of islanders and visitors to meet, dance, organize, mourn and celebrate. As one islander said, “The spirit of this building will live on in a new form.”

On February 29, the Madawaska Valley bid farewell to one of its leading citizens, Gerard O’Malley, just 10 days after his 65th birthday. Affectionately known as Tootie, he passed away while battling cancer. Well-known and deeply respected, he was a successful businessman, along with his partners Neil and Connie O’Reilly.

As co-owner-operator of the local Metro grocery store, Tootie was famous for his positive attitude, his unparalleled approach to customer service and his compassion and generosity to those in need. From his teenage years, he was laser-focused on his goals and willing to sacrifice and work hard to attain them.

What really set him apart was that, 40 years ago, he suffered a critical injury playing hockey and lived the rest of his life as a paraplegic. It was at this time that he faced his proverbial fork in the road. While it certainly was not easy, his determination and faith led him to choose a path of positivity and accepting each and every day as an opportunity. The life he lived after his accident has been an inspiration to so many, including myself. Rather than feeling sorry for himself, he did whatever he could do to enhance the lives of others. His examples of bearing his cross with a smile encouraged everyone he met to be better.

From his Metro family and all of their customers to the community at large, we were all gifted to witness his strength and grace facing his enormous challenges head on each and every day.

I was blessed to know Tootie most of his life. He leaves a mark on our community. It will not be forgotten. May he rest in peace.

The drug-poisoning crisis in my riding and in communities across Ontario is at a breaking point. Last year, Ontario saw an estimated 3,644 drug-related deaths, and over 20,000 have died since 2018. That’s 20,000 children, grandchildren, siblings, friends and neighbours.

On March 4, an urgent letter was sent to the Ministry of Health signed by over 50 advocacy organizations requesting direct emergency funding by March 29 to supervised consumption sites. These are clinics that provide scientifically-informed, evidence-based approaches to navigating a documented health condition. Staff here provide more than health care. They provide hope, connections and pathways to employment, housing and other services. As of yesterday, they received no response.

Safe consumption sites are essential to put an end to this crisis and they must include inhalation services and be scaled up immediately to prevent further tragedies. The crisis isn’t going away.

I want to thank the passionate and underpaid nurses and staff of the CTS in Kitchener Centre who are proud of the deaths that they prevent everyday at their clinic. I also want to thank the staff of the Working Centre, Sanguen Health, A Better Tent City, Michael Parkinson and many others providing direct service and advocacy to support equitable access and care to all.

As community leaders, we hope and we pray that a crisis never hits our community, that we never have to be with a family that is in desperate need. However, that is something that did happen in my community of Barrhaven in the city of Ottawa on March 6, when a woman—a mother—and her four children were murdered by a knife-wielding maniac.

My colleagues in Ottawa, we stood together with the remaining family member, the father of the four children and the husband of the woman, to mark the sadness and tragedy that befell him and our community.

I ask all members to think, if you’re a parent, about the children that you have reared and raised, because it’s one thing to see something on the news and to say what a terrible tragedy it is when four children die, but it’s quite another to remember that those children could have been our children. For example, a two-and-a-half-year-old child, Kelly, was murdered. I think any of us who have had a child remember a two-and-a-half-year-old, when they first learn to smile and they know who their mom and dad are, and they bring us so much joy. They’re worth every sleepless night.

There was a two-and-a-half-year-old child, Ranaya. I sat in front of her little, tiny white casket. Ranaya had this beautiful little smile. She looked like any two-and-a-half- or three-year-old would. The terrible twos: when they do something that you don’t want them to do, but they’re so cute, you laugh about it anyway.

Then there was the four-year-old sister. She was just beautiful. She had such a smile. Her name was Ashwini, and she had just started school. She was at that age where we remember our children becoming little people. They weren’t quite babies, they’re not quite big kids that go to elementary school, but they’re just starting out, and you’re starting to understand if they like the maths, the sciences, if they’re into English and reading books or if they like to draw and they’re more creative.

And then a grade 2 student, seven years old, a young boy, Inuka, who loved to play soccer with his friends and have lots of fun.

That’s who died in my constituency on March 6—senseless, tragic deaths.

And the family, though they were Sri Lankan and, of course, they were also Buddhist, I reminded them that they were also Barrhavenites.

From the 911 call from a neighbour, to the local police who attended on the scene, to the paramedics who looked after the victims as well as the father, who had to go to the hospital, the hospital staff and, of course, the nurses and doctors there, straight through to the teachers at Monsignor Paul Baxter School, who had to explain to all of the students there the next day why two of their seats, two of their desks were empty—no words can express their tragic circumstances.

All I can say: I know, Speaker, on behalf of every good person in this chamber, which every one of us is, we wish that their memories be a blessing and that justice may be served.

On Friday, March 8, we celebrate the invaluable social, economic, cultural and political contributions that women have made in our society. Women continue to shape the world and play an important role in advancing our society, whether that be through the role of mothers, wives, siblings, friends or co-workers.

International Women’s Day also gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the progress made in advancing gender equality and working towards a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination, regardless of if it is on the basis of sex or race. We must continue to strive to create an environment where every woman has the opportunity to reach their full potential and be able to thrive and contribute fully to society.

Speaker, this past weekend, I had the opportunity to join Paddy Entertainments and Sonali Sandhu for their women’s day celebration.

It is crucial we continue having conversations that amplify the voices of women, champion their rights and advocate for policies that promote inclusivity and justice. Together, let us continue to break barriers, defy expectations and build a future where every woman has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Happy International Women’s Day.

That concludes our members’ statements for this morning.

Mushkegowuk–James Bay is next.

I do have an introduction and a birthday wish this morning. First off, as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, I would like to introduce Rob Johnston, principal and founder of the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy; Adriana Sauvé, vice-principal of the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy; and Mitchell Fitzpatrick, a local osteopath from my great riding of Newmarket–Aurora. The members of the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy and their graduates are visiting Queen’s Park from across the province today, so I welcome you to Queen’s Park.

Now, for the birthday wish, to my son, who is turning 17 years old today: Happy birthday, Robert John.

Merci, monsieur le Président. En passant, bonne Journée internationale de la Francophonie.

Je voudrais féliciter les récipiendaires de l’Ordre de la Pléiade qui sont ici aujourd’hui : Ronald Bisson, Lise Bourgeois, Melinda Marie Chartrand, Claudette Gleeson, Abel Maxwell et Denis Poirier. Félicitations et bienvenue à Queen’s Park.