Thank you to my colleague opposite from Kiiwetinoong. Member, thank you for your presentation. I have a lot of respect for you. Thank you for bringing your own story and for sharing with us. Thank you for your perspective to this House.

Madam Speaker, we understand the harsh reality that many young people face within the foster care and child welfare system. Our bill, Bill 188, will bring more accountability in the foster care system through the hiring of more inspectors, allowing for random inspections—it’s never happened before—giving the ministry more weight to enforce the laws that protect the rights of children in out-of-home care.

My question to the member opposite: Does he agree that there should be a stronger role in place to punish bad actors in the foster care system? That’s including in the Indigenous foster care system. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Any bill, every bill, that pertains to our children is important for all of us. Children, and especially those that are at risk of harm or are already in care come to many different professionals in their lives. This bill proposes to strengthen information-sharing practices when individuals providing service and care to the children are suspected of posing a risk to children. It would create an all-hands-on-deck approach, with professional colleges, like the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, ensuring that their members are working in the best interests of our young people and that those professional colleges are working together with children’s aid societies to do that.

My question is very simple to the member: Does the member support timely coordination between our professionals and professional colleges when there are opportunities to make services safer for our children?

My question is very simple, Madam Speaker: Does the member opposite support having a law on the books that would deter and punish individuals who harm children in their care? Is she going to support this bill?