Thank you to the member for the question, and good job remembering all those numbers. That was an important initiative that Jane left, and I was proud to work with her at that time.

Looking back, that was one of the issues of concern when youth were aging out of care, the low graduation rates from high school, which then, obviously, led to lower rates of students entering post-secondary. That was a real key piece for us in that: How do we ensure success in high school? Because we know education leads to success down the line.

I was with a few of the schools when they made their announcements. I’m very proud of the work that Jane did, but also proud of the universities for stepping up and being part of that program, because it is so important, and recognizing that.

When I was hearing the questions here today, I was excited to hear the support from the NDP on this bill because I think we can all agree that this is an important issue that we are there to support children and ensure the best supports are available for success for those young people.

I’m proud to rise today to speak to the Supporting Children’s Futures Act, 2024. I’ll be sharing my time with the member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, my neighbouring riding.

Speaker, let me start off by saying that regardless of where you sit in this House, I believe that we can all agree that absolutely no child should be left behind, and the fact of the matter is, there are children who may be left behind or are in need of protection because they’re at risk of abuse or neglect in Ontario.

This is why this act is so important. It is about protecting children and youth in Ontario’s care today through new measures for safety, service, oversight, accountability and privacy, and providing better opportunities for children and youth who are in care in Ontario today to thrive as adults tomorrow.

Madam Speaker, we all have an obligation to protect children. We all have a responsibility to give children the best possible chance for a bright and productive future.

This bill, if passed, will protect children and youth in care and provide them with a better future by strengthening oversight and enforcement tools for out-of-home care, protecting privacy of youth formerly in care, and updating the Child, Youth and Family Services Act with lessons learned since it became law. The changes proposed in this bill will improve safety and independence for children and youth in care and moving on from care.

Speaker, isn’t it in the best interests of all Ontarians to give all children and youth the best opportunities and protection to set them up for successful and bright futures?

Our government has invested $1.5 billion into children’s aid societies this year, which is steady to previous years despite a drop in children in care over the last several years. This is significant, Speaker. Children’s aid societies are funded primarily by the province, but they make their own staffing and placement decisions independently without government interference based on the needs of each unique child and the services and supports available in each community.

Another investment, Speaker: Our government is increasing investment in child protection this year by approximately $14 million, in addition to last year’s $76.3-million increase and $109 million for children and youth services. This is on top of last year’s $92.4-million increase.

Now, this isn’t just about the money. We are caring for young lives that deserve our best efforts to ensure there is a system in place that not only offers protection but guarantees them protection from the evils we know are out there. That is why I was proud to be part of the changes our government made when I was the Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues. The now-Minister of Energy, Minister Todd Smith, and I worked to update the Child, Youth and Family Services Act to better protect youth in care from human trafficking.

Madam Speaker, I was recently speaking to a service club in my riding about being the local member and why I got into politics and what interested me and some of the things I was most proud of to this point. One of the things I mentioned was being the Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues and working on the file of child welfare. I visited many children’s aids throughout the province and met with some incredible young people, some incredible families who shared their stories: kin members like aunts and uncles who were looking after their nieces and nephews and who really wrapped the supports from their family around those young people when they needed them to.

Part of that system, with the modernization of child welfare, was to ensure that there were supports in the family, because we all know that a child is best raised with their parents, when possible, and providing the supports in the community for mental health services, addiction, health care services was key to ensuring that as many kids as possible were raised by their family members, whether it was their parents or grandparents—supportive family members. A lot of work was done in that area, and I was very proud to be part of that. It’s something I reflect on, meeting those children. I look at my own children—I have three daughters—and the support they have from our own family, and you want that same love and support for all children out there.

The changes that we made at that time made the role of the children’s aid societies clear, so that they could intervene in situations where a child is a victim of sex trafficking or at risk of being trafficked. It allowed child protection workers and police to remove 16- and 17-year-old victims of child sex trafficking, to voluntarily access protective measures and supportive resources. It also increased penalties for traffickers who interfere with or harbour children who are subject to an order of supervision or care by a children’s aid society.

These changes strengthened children’s aid societies’ ability to intervene in child sex trafficking cases. It made the role of societies in these cases more clear and promoted consistent responses across the province. All of these measures have improved the quality of child welfare in Ontario and made life better for children in out-of-home care. With the Supporting Children’s Futures Act, we’re continuing to build on what our government has achieved to date and moving forward towards an Ontario where no one is left behind.

Speaker, making a difference in the lives of children and youth does not happen overnight, especially when the goal is to ensure that no one is left behind. That is why I want to thank Minister Parsa for leading the way to bring this bill to fruition. Our government consulted extensively across the child welfare sector to develop the measures that are in this bill, and the most important stakeholders we consulted were the youth themselves, as there is no better source of insight than those with lived experience.

I look back to my time working in the child welfare system through the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. At that time, we were consulting with youth about youth aging out of the system, and one of those organizations we worked with was Youth in Care Canada. Conner Lowes, who was president at the time—we’ve still stayed connected over the past few years. I want to congratulate him now. He’s a summer associate at a Toronto law firm. He will be going into his final year of law school and articling. The work that he did at that time with his group and some of the other youth really informed the decisions that we made moving forward.

I want to congratulate the ministry after my time on the Ready, Set, Go Program that they brought forward. This was launched in April 2023, and it provides youth transitioning out of care with the life skills and supports they need to pursue post-secondary education, skilled trades, training and employment opportunities. Starting at age 13, they will begin learning practical life skills and planning educational goals. At age 15, the emphasis will expand to financial literacy and preparing for the workforce, including managing personal finances, setting up a bank account, grocery shopping, résumé building, and how to access social services and other supports. The Ready, Set, Go Program will also allow youth to remain in care until the age of 23, up from the age of 21. Monthly financial support will also increase to provide youth a better quality of life and shelter and housing opportunities so that they can focus on their studies or working.

This was something that was very important. We saw, during the COVID times, the moratorium on youth leaving care ended, so that youth had the supports during that difficult time of COVID and continued on. I have three daughters. I think of my own daughters being 18. No child is an adult at the age of 18; it’s just an age. But the work that we did with the former youth in care to look at programs like Ready, Set, Go was really important, and I want to thank Conner and congratulate him on his success—someday, one of our future lawyers.

Speaker, it cannot be said enough that all children and youth deserve safety, stability and access to resources to help them succeed and thrive. Our government is taking decisive action to ensure that those who provide care are truly fit to offer the high-quality services our youth deserve.

This bill proposes a significant enhancement in accountability, a measure we can all agree is not only responsible but essential. No one should dispute the importance of a thorough application process for care providers. This bill would empower us to refuse licences on several grounds, ensuring that only those capable of delivering top-tier care are entrusted with such responsibilities. This is clearly in the public interest, and most importantly, in the best interests of our children and youth. And to guarantee that every child and youth in care receives safe, high-quality services, this bill mandates increased accountability for operators. These measures will serve as a strong deterrent against negligence and misconduct, fostering a safer and more accountable care environment.

I’d like to thank you for my time today, and I will now pass it to my colleague.