It’s a pleasure to rise in the House this morning. Last Friday, November 25, was the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which starts 16 days of activism and will end on December 10, the international UN Human Rights Day.

This November marks Woman Abuse Prevention Month and the 10th anniversary of the Wrapped in Courage campaign in Ontario. Gender-based violence agencies across our province ask community leaders to wear purple—a scarf or a tie—to show their commitment to ending femicide and all forms of gender-based violence in our province.

I would like to pay tribute to two non-profit organizations that provide critical shelter and support services for the women and their children experiencing domestic violence in my riding of Simcoe–Grey: My Sister’s Place in Alliston has provided shelter and traditional services and supports to women and their children in the region since 1987; and My Friend’s House has been supporting women and their children in south Georgian Bay, including Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview and Town of the Blue Mountains, since 1991.

I am proud to say that our government provided significant financial supports to both organizations during the pandemic through the Resilient Communities Fund, with grants of $72,500 to My Sister’s Place and $101,000 to My Friend’s House.

The courage of a woman alone is not enough to end gender-based violence. It takes the support of an entire community to end this devastating violence together, and I know that all of us in this House commit to doing that.