I have a few introductions. I will try and get through them quickly. I would like to welcome folks here today for the debate on Bill 173: Erin Lee, the executive director of Lanark County Interval House and Community Support; Cait Alexander, who is a survivor of intimate partner violence; Kirsten Mercer, a lawyer who represented end violence against Renfrew county; OSSTF members Kelly Bevan and Tracey Marshall; the vice-president of OSSTF, Martha Hradowy; and all the way from Windsor, Fartumo Kusow, who is here—her daughter was killed by her intimate partner last year.

I also want to welcome Chief Mary Duckworth of Caldwell First Nation, Councillors Duckworth and Heil of Caldwell First Nation, former chief and councillor Larry Sault of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Chief Claire Sault of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I’d like to take a few seconds to introduce and recognize today’s page captain, Emirson Ricker, who hails from Dunnville in my beautiful riding of Haldimand–Norfolk. Emirson attends Cairn Christian School. Welcome, Emirson, and I truly hope you enjoy your stay here at Queen’s Park.

Good morning. Before I introduce my visitors today, I’d like to beg the indulgence of the House for just a few seconds, because today is the most significant observance in the Muslim faith. After weeks of fasting and prayer, Muslim Canadian families in Mississauga and across Ontario are observing Eid. To all my Muslim Canadian friends, a very happy and joyous Eid Mubarak and Eid-Ul-Fitr.

I want to welcome several people for the debate on intimate partner violence this afternoon: Alison Irons, the mother of Lindsay Wilson, who was killed in a murder-suicide in Bracebridge in April 2013; Dan and Michelle Jennings, parents of Caitlin Jennings, who was murdered in London, Ontario, in July 2023; as well as Emily McIntosh, Janice Jim and Amani Yagoub. Welcome to the House.

An old friend from the town of Amherstburg from Red Cloud Securities, David Talbot: Welcome to the Ontario Legislative Assembly.

I would like to thank all those who participated in this morning’s press conference on intimate partner violence. I would also like to thank community members from my home in St. Paul’s: Barbara Captijn and her husband Joost, Habiba Haque and Keren Harvey, who will be joining along this afternoon for the debate.

Today we have folks from Oshawa for the debate on intimate partner violence. I want to welcome Karly Church from Victim Services of Durham Region, and Pamela Cross, legal director at Luke’s Place in Oshawa.

I would like to welcome my friends from Brampton: Abhishek Jain, Napinderpal Masaun, Puneet Sahi, Manu Mahajan, and a special guest from India, Updeep Singh. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I’m just adding to the list of our friends who are here for a very important debate this afternoon: Yamikani Msosa from the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women—very happy you’re with us today, Yami.

I wish a warm welcome to two of my constituents, Norm Mero and Dillon Mero, who are here in the members’ gallery today.

On behalf of both Hamilton members here, we want to welcome to our House members from the Woman Abuse Working Group, Erin Griver, and from the YWCA, Daniela Giulietti. I want to thank all of the agencies in Hamilton working around intimate partner violence. It’s an important issue, and we really appreciate you coming here today to stand up—thank you.

Good morning. This question is for the Premier. Nearly 10 years ago, three women were tragically murdered in Renfrew county on the same day by the same man. Since then, hundreds of women have lost their lives to acts of intimate partner violence. The first recommendation from the coroner’s inquest into the murders in Renfrew county was to formally declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. It’s a simple yet very important and impactful step that this government has so far resisted.

My question is, will the Premier right this wrong and support the NDP’s bill to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Ontario?

I think all of us here often feel like we have a great privilege in being able to speak for so many who have been more directly impacted, often, by things like intimate partner violence. I always say it’s a privilege that we are able to be the ones to be here to advocate, and I do want to thank the government.

I am going to move on: I appreciate the government’s commitment to creating a committee. I’d like the government to consider taking everything a little bit of a step further today. We are joined, as I mentioned earlier, by dozens of survivors, their supporters, their loved ones, and they are here because, frankly, this government has ignored survivors for too long. This is the same government that cut millions in funding for the victims’ compensation fund and they changed the eligibility rules so that it’s even harder for survivors to get justice.

So I’d ask the minister and the Premier if they might consider explaining to the folks here today why they have taken that lifeline away and to, perhaps, restore it.

This is urgent. We need to increase that base funding right now. I would ask the government: Let’s not push this over to another committee for another 10 years or 12 years; let’s get this done today together.

I also want to mention courts again. We were joined this morning by a survivor who had the case against the accused stayed because too much time had passed. We hear this over and over again. We would ask the government to please consider properly funding the courts so that victims, survivors can truly see justice.

Will the government—and I know the government doesn’t want us to be talking about all these issues today, but this is what it means to declare this an epidemic. It means that you have to now treat it like the epidemic that it is. So I would ask the government again to restore the funding to the victims’ compensation fund and ensure that our courts are properly funded.

Interjections.

It’s always a pleasure when the people from our community from Peel region are here, including Abhishek Jain, Napinderpal, Puneet Sahi, Manu Mahajan and his guest from India, Updeep Singh. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

That concludes our introduction of visitors for this morning.

I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Opposition. Indeed, the government and this caucus will be supporting the private member’s bill that comes before the House later today.

In fact, we’ll be going a step further. The Premier has asked that we seek the advice of the standing committee on justice to do an in-depth study on all of the aspects with respect to intimate partner violence: both the current programs that are available, some of the root causes of it, and how we can do better in the province of Ontario. So we will be seeking that advice from the standing committee on justice in the coming days, as well.

Applause.

We will have the opportunity, should the justice committee seek to approve such a study, to do a very, very in-depth study and come back with recommendations on what supports are available, how can we do better.

We have heard across different ministries that this impacts different communities differently. I think the committee will have to go into all parts of the province and be given the tools and the resources that it needs to come back with recommendations that will ensure that we have all of the supports that are in place and that we continue to lead the nation in terms of how we respond. So we will do that, and we will work aggressively and quickly with the support of all colleagues to get action on this.

I think we have, as I said, a very, very good example in the province of Ontario. We literally lead the world when it comes to how we combat human trafficking, and we have heard not only from members opposite and from members of this caucus but different ministers that there has to be a better coordination of how we approach this. I think a standing committee with the full backing of this entire House to go to all parts of this province, have the ability to call ministers in front of that committee, have the ability to call survivors and victims of this, have the ability to, in fact, call on federal ministers to also appear before that committee, do a very in-depth, thorough investigation to come up with reports that we can enact as quickly as we possibly can—because, look, I agree; this is a challenge that we’re facing, another one of these challenges that we’re facing.

But as I said, I want to avoid the temptation to talk about—there are many good things that have been done, but we can do better, we will do better and we will ask all parliamentarians to help us in coming forward with something that works not only for the province of Ontario but has been so effective when it comes to human trafficking, so that we can show the rest of Canada and that we can show the rest of the world how Ontario can lead and do a better job for all.

I’d like to welcome Jenna Mayne and Lillie Proksch from the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. They’re here today for the intimate partner violence debate. And then Janice Jim, who is also a Waterloo constituent. Welcome to your House.

My question is to the Premier. I am incredibly disappointed to hear the government House leader talk about sending this to a committee. Nearly two years ago—

Interjections.

Interjections.

Members will please take their seats.

To respond, the government House leader.

Interjections.

To reply for the government, the government House leader.

Again, I know that the Attorney General has been seized with ensuring that we have the proper resources in our court system to address this and the other issues that we’re facing in the criminal justice system.

But as I said, and I want to be very clear about this to the Leader of the Opposition and to colleagues on all sides of the House: Everything is on the table. We want to look at every aspect of this so that we can come with a Team Ontario approach to how we deal with the challenges that are being faced. It could include issues with respect to the criminal justice legislation from the federal government. It could definitely include the supports that we already have in place. How do the courts deal with this? What are victims? What are the challenges that victims have faced in addressing some of the concerns? Are there obstacles? Are there roadblocks?

I would suggest that everything should be on the table. Should the committee accept this challenge, we will authorize them and provide them all the necessary resources that they need to travel the entire province, to go to other jurisdictions, if need be. We will do better, and we can accomplish that together, Mr. Speaker.

But it is clear to us, Mr. Speaker, that more needs to be done and that we need greater advice, not only from parliamentarians on both sides of the chamber, but we need to hear from victims of this. We need to hear from subject matter experts. We need to hear from those who respond: What are the challenges that they are facing in helping to deal with this?

Everything is on the table. I don’t know how much more clear I can be to the Leader of the Opposition. Everything is on the table. We want to build on the programs and services that we already have, but we also want to look at other jurisdictions to see what they’re doing and how Ontario can not only copy good programs but be a leader, the way we have been in so many other ways. So we will get that job done.

Let me be very, very clear: I have every faith that a parliamentary committee, given the resources that are required, will come forward with very valuable recommendations. We have seen this time and time again. We need not look any further than the extraordinary work that was done on human trafficking, led by the member for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock but supported by all members. We have done such an amazing job on that, Mr. Speaker, that what Ontario has done has become a beacon of hope for jurisdictions around the world, and now we are going to do the same.

I trust parliamentarians to give this vigorous, vigorous study. If the committee agrees, we want to go into every part of this province. We want to go to other jurisdictions. We want to go across Canada. We want to ask our federal partners to participate in this. We will come back with a plan that works better, that improves on what we’ve already put in place and responds to the needs of victims and those who are helping victims.

Now, we’ve heard this consistently. We’ve heard this from victims. We’ve heard it from members of the opposition that they have suggestions and that we can learn. That is what this parliamentary committee will do. I’m disappointed that the opposition is frustrated by that, but I am actually very encouraged by what a parliamentary committee, working together, can accomplish.

We will leave no stone unturned to improve on what we have already built in the province of Ontario. We will look at the justice system. We will look at the services that we provide victims. We will look at ways of making it easier for victims to get those services. We will look at laws or legislation that might be on the table with the federal government that might need to be changed. We’ll look at other jurisdictions. We’ll work quickly and effectively. And we will criss-cross not only the entire province, but we will go anywhere that we need to to ensure that the people who have been victims of this and the people who provide those services get the care and the resources they need to address the—

Interjections.