Happy anniversary.

Speaker, in seven days, Canada will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the largest combined military operation in history.

On June 6, 1944, D-Day, 14,000 brave Canadians stormed Juno Beach in Normandy. They launched a campaign that helped turn the tide of World War II. This day is etched in history as a testament to courage, sacrifice and the unyielding spirit of soldiers. We must remember the bravery demonstrated by our Canadian heroes who landed in Normandy on that day, defending freedom, our rights and democracy.

To honour those who fell 80 years ago, I will be attending the annual D-Day parade in Oakville, hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion, Chris Vokes Branch 486. Veterans, Legion members, dignitaries and cadets will assemble at the Legion hall and march to the cenotaph. The cenotaph, located in the centre of Bronte Village in a park by the lake, honours those who served in World War I, World War II and Korea. The park is dedicated to Major-General Christopher Vokes, an Oakville resident and a distinguished veteran. It stands as a reminder of the bravery and sacrifices made by our fellow Canadians.

As the 80th anniversary approaches, we are also mindful of the conflict happening today, including the wars in the Middle East as well as Ukraine. We are reminded that our freedom should never be taken for granted.

Speaker, I encourage all of us here in the House, and all Ontarians, to take some time to remember over the next seven days those who fell on D-Day.

I have the great honour of introducing to the chamber today, in the Speaker’s gallery, my wife, Najia Crawford, and my mother-in-law, Zahida Mahmood, who are here to see page captain Farah Crawford today.

To the member opposite, who I believe is on the record for supporting a carbon tax and thinking that’s great for the people of Ontario—well, that gives us a sense of where you’re coming from.

But let’s go back. We ran, in 2022, on a key promise to deliver convenience and competition to the people of Ontario. The people of Ontario spoke. They want competition. They want convenience. They’re sick and tired of the Liberal deal that they put into place—a 10-year monopoly deal which gave higher prices and a monopoly to large, foreign-owned companies.

We, on the other hand, care about small businesses. We care about the people of Ontario.

Some 7,500 jobs are going to be created by our change here in Ontario that we’re putting forward—good-paying jobs for the people of Ontario. Our GDP is going to grow by an estimated $200 million. New investments in infrastructure, in cooling systems for various companies are going to expand. And most important, it’s going to give—

But let’s get back to what the member was asking about, with respect to the liberalization that we are bringing in.

The previous Liberal government signed a multitude of bad deals. I know the Minister of Energy could certainly point to the Green Energy Act, which was probably one of the worst bills ever signed in the people of Ontario’s history—but also the Master Framework Agreement, a 10-year deal which gave high prices, high taxes and high profits to foreign corporations.

We are acting on the promise that we ran on in 2022, which is to give liberalization to this, stop the old agreement—a 97-year monopoly—bring convenience and competition to the people of Ontario, and bring back economic growth. This is what the people of Ontario want, and we’re delivering.

Thank you to the member for Don Valley North. I must say, that was a very good question.

In terms of the liberalization and the changes that we are making, it’s going to have a tremendous impact, not only on families across Ontario and individuals who just want to buy a bottle of wine on a Friday night and not have to go to the LCBO or the Beer Store, but it’s also going to help small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of the province of Ontario. Speaker, 7,500 new jobs will be created in small businesses and convenience stores and other areas, so this is going to have a tremendously positive impact.

In fact, I can assure the member opposite that there has been great support from the convenience store industry. In fact, the president of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association said, “This is great news for all convenience store owners and their staff in Ontario. We at the” Ontario Convenience Stores Association “have been petitioning the Ontario government for beer and wine” in corner stores “for the last 30 years.” We’re delivering.