Any death is too many. We are absolutely committed to making sure that Ontario’s correctional system is safe for everyone.

Years ago, under the previous government’s watch, they brought our correctional system and our public safety system to its knees.

That’s why this government, under Premier Ford, has made a tremendous investment to make sure that our correctional systems are safe. We’ve invested over a half a billion dollars on infrastructure improvement. We’ve hired over a thousand new correctional officers. We have native inmate liaison officers, NILOs, and chaplains there.

Mr. Speaker, we have done a lot in a short period of time, and we will continue to do so each and every day.

Mr. Speaker, that’s exactly why, in the last years since Premier Ford has been our Premier, we have taken public safety very seriously—and that includes the investments in our correctional facilities, the half-a-billion-dollar infrastructure improvements, the suicide prevention and intervention training to make sure that our correctional officers understand things that they may not have understood 20 years ago.

It’s important that everyone knows we will make the investments required to keep our Ontario safe.

I want to say clearly that, under the leadership of Premier Ford, public safety matters all over Ontario, including in Ottawa.

I want to give a special mention to a great chief in the Ottawa Police Service, Chief Eric Stubbs. I speak with Chief Stubbs on a regular basis, and he’s excited with the government’s announcement of helping to work with the city of Ottawa and put in extra resources that will help him combat the crime in the ByWard Market district, where acts of criminality are deterring tourism.

That’s why, throughout Ontario and in Ottawa, our government will work with police services, with municipalities, to make public safety not only a focus but a priority.