I want to thank Minister Dunlop—now the Minister of Colleges and Universities, but her work was setting the foundation for a lot of what we see in this bill when she was over at the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, because it takes time to evolve and to listen to the service providers and the communities, to get the right formula as we continue to protect more children in our province.

I want to thank the current minister, also, for MCCSS—if I can go forward and just use that acronym—for his dedication and hard work. I also want to thank the member from Sarnia–Lambton, my seatmate here, for bringing his private member’s bill in about modernizing privacy rights for former foster children over the years, which is now incorporated in this bill.

Madam Speaker, as you’ve heard from the previous speakers today, our government remains steadfast in our commitment to revitalizing the child welfare system. Regardless of the circumstances or background, every child and youth deserves a decent start in life and a stable, safe place to call home, and this is where Bill 188, the Supporting Children’s Futures Act, is the next step in reforming Ontario’s child welfare system.

There’s always continuous work to establish new initiatives that contribute to the overall quality of care in out-of-home settings such as foster care and group homes. I know I’ve spoken many times in the Legislature and worked with many MPPs from all parties on legislation and initiatives to combat human trafficking and exploitation across the province, through committees, hearing private members’ bills from all parties. We have heard the terrible stories of abuse and exploitation. We’ve heard from those who’ve survived their abuse in urban settings as well as in rural areas—and the fact that the abuse of children, and girls, especially, can happen anywhere, even the girl next door. The traumatic experience and exploitation leaves scars that prove to be barriers in their healing journey and ultimately reclaiming their lives. It’s an ongoing issue, and one that requires a multi-faceted approach to support victims, reprimand perpetrators—multi-ministries involved, and multi-community providers and police associations. Everyone is involved in improving child welfare.

Bill 188: I know that some committee delegations were brought forward, and one was from Carly Kalish from Victim Services Toronto, who’s a human trafficking specialist and trauma specialist. I’ve worked with Carly, as many members have in the House, over many years. She testified at committee, on Bill 188, about the troubling connection between human trafficking and the child welfare system. I’ve heard stories from experts in the field, and she has, too, about the pervasiveness of human trafficking amongst foster children and group homes. Some of these young children are exploited by the very people who care for them. The abuse of the power inflicts unspeakable harm on the victims. This bill aims to provide more safeguards for those in out-of-home care. That was brought up, and many of the terms—“more safety,” “securities,” “more inspections,” “more fines,” “more eyes,” “more training,” “more awareness of what’s going on.”

Many of us have group homes in our riding. You just have to paint the picture of young workers in the group homes who maybe have just graduated from college and they don’t really understand the comings and goings of the people they’re supervising, what the signals are that may tweak them to the fact they’re being abused by someone from the outside—the boyfriend who’s picking him or her up is not necessarily the boyfriend; they could be the trafficker. So that type of training has gone on, through many pieces of legislation or just organically in the community, from police officers, from survivors who have trained those front-line staff and those young workers who may be coming out of school and not really understanding the complexity of what to look for, for the signs of human trafficking.

I want to give a shout-out to Jennifer Wilson, who was the CAO of my Kawartha-Peterborough-Haliburton sector of CAS that covers, I think, three ridings that we have here in the Legislature. When we first started going around the province and bringing this to light, the CAS was saying, “Well, we have to do more.” She initiated the first memorandum of understanding with the CAS of Ontario. So I thank her for that work. I know she’s retired happily now, but she did great work. Another Jennifer has taken over her place: Jennifer McLauchlan, who does a great job with my local CAS.

These are tough stories, but our whole goal, and as pieces of legislation come forward—it is all about protecting youth in care. Be it human trafficking or other abuses that have occurred—they need the safe space. So we provided, in this legislation, a clear outline of children’s aid societies’ role in intervening in human trafficking and ever listening to more changes that may be needed.

I want to mention previous legislation that we’ve brought in to protect children, whether allowing protection workers and police to remove 16- and 17-year-old victims of child sex trafficking, to voluntarily access protective measures and supportive resources, which I think maybe happened in the time that the minister who just spoke was in that file; increasing penalties for those who interfere with or harbour children who are subject to an order of supervision or care by the children’s aid societies—so giving those organizations, like CAS, more tools, more strength, more training. They’ve all been given more capacity to intervene in the roles of human sex trafficking.

The child welfare design our government launched was mentioned also, the Ready, Set, Go Program, which I know was a big passion of the chief of staff now, Jane, which seeks to provide youth in the care of children’s aid societies with the life skills they need, starting at 13, and the financial support as they leave care, up to the age of 23.

The Minister of Colleges and Universities just mentioned her own children. We know what an 18-year-old is like from a very good home. Can you imagine one that’s been in foster care and troubled and what they’re like at 18 and the supports they still need? Our government did those measures to help support children into young adults and let them stay in those homes with CAS supports for a longer period of time and help them with post-secondary education—all the ministries working together to get more women in the trades, more women that have been in challenging circumstances, get them the skills they need so that they are going to pursue employment and be able to support their families.

This week, Madam Speaker, I’m going to be at the Women’s Resources centre in Lindsay, which, with different supports and community fundraisers, is opening second stage housing affordability, coming with supports for women that have had violent situations, but for them and their families to actually have this type of housing, so it’s like a step to a better life that they have. I’m very proud of the work that Women’s Resources in Lindsay does.

All of this is building around helping people that have come from circumstances that have been, for lack of a better word, very rough and very traumatic in some things. So I’m happy to see this legislation. I’m happy with the support it’s got. The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services—the long name—has listened to voices of young people as well as the organizations that go and help our communities.

I spoke of survivors of human trafficking, but a lot of children that were in the CAS system are now able to come out and speak about their life experiences and offer invaluable insights into the gaps in the programs. Bill 188, in its provisions, helps with child care services, educational opportunities, mental health supports, strengthening the measures of protection for children.

The bill does many more things, Madam Speaker, and I have very limited time to say much more. But through many speakers this afternoon, we’ve heard of the changes that have occurred in Bill 188 and the support that it has received from the privacy commissioner, lots of victims’ services and support workers. I commend the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, the previous ministers and the present one, for continuing important work on safeguarding our children and giving them the best opportunities they can.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to speak today.

Questions and comments?

Further debate? Further debate? Further debate?

Ms. Dunlop has moved second reading of Bill 26, An Act to amend various acts in respect of post-secondary education. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I believe it’s carried.

Second reading agreed to.

Orders of the day? The deputy government House leader.

The House adjourned at 1650.