Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

This being the first Monday of the month that the House is sitting, I want to ask everyone to join in the singing of the Canadian national anthem, followed by the royal anthem. This morning, we have with us, in the Speaker’s gallery, the Fairbank Public School choir, from the riding of Toronto–St. Paul’s, to perform O Canada and God Save the King. Please remain standing and join them in the singing of our national and royal anthems.

Singing of the national anthem / Chant de l’hymne national.

Singing of the royal anthem / Chant de l’hymne royal.

I beg to inform the House that during the adjournment, the following document was tabled: a report on the investigation into whether the Ministry of the Attorney General, Tribunals Ontario and the Landlord and Tenant Board are taking adequate steps to address delays and case backlogs at the Landlord and Tenant Board, from the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario.

Today is a sad day—a day that will go down in the history of our province as the day the Ford government delivered a fatal blow to our treasured medicare. Today, this Conservative government will say “goodbye” to care based on needs and “come on in” to investors who want to make money off the backs of sick people—because, make no mistake, Speaker, there is a lot of money to be made off of people who are sick, who are desperate for care in the hope of getting better. Investors know that. They know that sick people are at a vulnerable time in their lives, and it is easy to abuse that vulnerability to increase profits.

The minister says that we need the changes in Bill 60 to decrease wait times. But look at our hospital job boards: There are over 36,000 health care job vacancies in our hospitals right now. How are they supposed to recruit when for-profit clinics will offer a Monday-to-Friday job, 9 to 5? It will make the wait for hospital care increase tremendously. But the rich and powerful friends of our Premier will have faster access, using their credit cards to get to the front of the line, while the rest of us hold our hats.

To my MPP colleagues: Do the right thing. Vote down Bill 60.

It is truly my pleasure to rise and pay tribute to the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty the Queen. People from across Canada, the Commonwealth and the world took time to watch the ancient ceremony and liturgy of the coronation. It was a remarkable moment for us to reflect on our bond to the crown and the stability and continuity it represents for Ontario’s parliamentary democracy. Indeed, it was the first coronation of a Canadian head of state in seven decades.

Constitutional monarchy takes root in the foundation of our political system, and Ontario is a founding province of Canada and the Confederation. To quote the motto included on Ontario’s coat of arms, “Loyal she began, loyal she remains.”

On Saturday, families descended on Queen’s Park for the royal fun fair, which included carnival rides, live entertainment and complementary food and beverages. Across my riding of Windsor–Tecumseh and the province, on a beautiful Saturday, people enjoyed the outdoors and took part in celebrations to mark this historic occasion.

On behalf of the people of Windsor–Tecumseh, I want to take this opportunity to wish King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla every success and good health in their reign. Long live the King.

On Saturday, May 6, we were privileged to witness a rare moment in history: the coronation of our new monarch, His Majesty King Charles III. This special occasion was described beautifully by Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, who said, “We come together to celebrate the beginning of a new reign, to celebrate the unifying power of the crown, and to acknowledge a moment of both continuity and change.”

Although we came from many places, we are united by common values in duty, determination, compassion, respect for diversity and respect for human rights.

Our system of parliamentary democracy, supported by the crown, is fundamental to our freedoms and our prosperity. As we embrace reconciliation, we’re aspiring to do better, especially by one another. These very values were seen in action as the closing of this historic ceremony drew near. Thousands of people and their families from our communities came together to celebrate on the south lawn of Queen’s Park to enjoy fellowship, free amusement rides and a delicious taste of fresh food produced right here in Ontario, thanks to the generosity of local community leaders and our local businesses.

I wish to sincerely thank everyone who volunteered their time on a sunny afternoon in the service of fellow Ontarians. These are a few of the values of our crown and our King. Long live the King.

I want to take this opportunity to say a thank you to a very special person who has contributed so much to making the Legislative Assembly run smoothly and successfully—under Todd Decker’s watch.

In November 2016, Todd Decker was appointed Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. As the Clerk of the House, Mr. Decker is the principal adviser at the table in the legislative chamber. He is responsible for ensuring the provision of consistent, expert, confidential and non-partisan procedural advice and assistance to the Speaker, members of provincial Parliament and colleagues in other jurisdictions.

Mr. Decker conducts daily procedural briefings with the Speaker, as well as weekly presiding officer meetings. In addition to his House duties, Mr. Decker is the chief administrative officer of the Office of the Assembly. In that capacity, he is responsible for strategic planning, development and implementation of programs and policy. He is responsible for a staff of 445 employees who provide procedural and administrative support to this House and its committees, including security, building management, library and information services, and educational outreach.

Thank you, Todd Decker, for being loyal, hard-working and bringing your expertise to this place. Congratulations on your retirement and enjoy your new-found freedom.

Applause.

The Fort Erie Race Track is the jewel of my community, but it’s under attack. Woodbine Entertainment Group is directly targeting the Fort Erie track, hoping to ultimately put it out of business. This behaviour has gone so far that the Fort Erie track has filed a complaint with the Canadian trade commission on targeted anti-competition behaviour from Woodbine.

Ontario tracks should be working together for the betterment of horse racing. Woodbine is actively restricting the ability of a horse stabled at Woodbine to be eligible to run at Fort Erie. Woodbine refuses to work proactively with Fort Erie in the scheduling of their Triple Crown races, directly ignoring the requests of Fort Erie to create a structure that would allow both Triple Crown races to be highlighted in the province of Ontario, and they continue to run B-track-level races even though they receive funding as an A-level track.

Woodbine has been granted tens of millions of dollars in purse money from the provincial government. Woodbine uses those government funds and their government-granted monopoly on wagering to do whatever they like, ignoring the impact it has on other tracks, making it very difficult for other tracks to achieve their goals or even operate. There’s no word other than “bullying” to describe this behaviour. Woodbine is bullying smaller tracks and using their power within this government and their regulatory body to get away with it.

It’s time this government steps up, puts an end to Woodbine’s behaviour and truly supports horse racing across Ontario.

I, too, wish to rise in the House today to acknowledge the coronation of our new sovereign, the King of Canada and the Commonwealth, Charles III, and his wife, Queen Camilla. Saturday, May 6, was coronation day, and I was proud to begin the day in my riding of Durham at a coronation breakfast with veterans at the Bowmanville Legion. That was followed by a wonderful street fest, Maplefest, right on King Street West in front of my constituency office, where thousands of children and adults were celebrating the coronation day and the annual Maplefest festival.

I was also proud to note that many, many hundreds gathered here at Queen’s Park on the south lawn to join Premier Ford and the Lieutenant Governor in celebration of the coronation. While at the Bowmanville coronation breakfast at the Legion hall on King Street West, we viewed not only scenes of the coronation from London, England, but we also watched with pride as the Lieutenant Governor gave her remarks to Ontarians. And I was proud to note that Indigenous leaders were welcomed with an audience with King Charles III on Saturday, along with Governor General Mary Simon.

As the member for Windsor–Tecumseh noted, Ontario is a founding province of Confederation: Loyal she began, loyal she remains.

Long live the King.

I’m very pleased to welcome to this House some of our greatest leaders in the Ontario health care system right now: Michael Hurley from the CUPE Ontario council of health care unions, Erin Ariss from Ontario Nurses’ Association, and Natalie Mehra from the Ontario Health Coalition. Thank you so much for being here with us all today.

Thank you very much. The time for members’ statements has now expired.

Good morning, Speaker. I rise to thank Wyndham House for the vital work they do in Guelph to support vulnerable youth. I had the honour last week to join Wyndham House, the mayor of Guelph, the warden of Wellington county and community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open an eight-bedroom supportive housing project for youth experiencing homelessness.

At the first point-in-time count for homelessness in Guelph in 2014, there were 90 youth experiencing homelessness. That number is now down to five, putting Guelph on track to be the first community in Ontario to end youth homelessness.

I want to thank Wyndham House, the city and the county, the provincial and the federal governments, and generous donors who supported this project.

Studies show that for every $10 invested in permanent supportive housing, the government saves $21.75 in other costs. More importantly, housing stabilizes and improves people’s lives. I’m proud that our community has come together with a Yes In My Backyard campaign, securing support for this housing project and two other permanent supportive housing projects.

I urge the government to increase funding for supportive housing in communities across Ontario, because the return on investment is priceless.

I want to recognize York–Simcoe residents Rosemary and Angelo Boutsis, who are the parents of page Nicholas Boutsis, who is here also with his grandmother Yota and siblings Alexander, Gianfranco and Alessia. Premier Ford and I had the opportunity to meet Nicholas and he has a bright future.

I’d like to recognize today’s page captain Senna Chan Carusone from Burlington. She’s here today with her parents, Soo Chan Carusone and Tony Chan Carusone, and grandparents Ricky Chan and Penny Chan. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Like millions of others around the world, I was honoured to witness the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty the Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning. The historical event marked the first coronation of a Canadian head of state in seven decades. It was a spectacular event.

It was also a time to reflect and to remember the passing last September of the King’s beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96. May she rest in eternal peace.

In my riding of Cambridge, the coronation was celebrated in a variety of ways. Those who were at Churchill Park on Sunday afternoon may have heard the singing of God Save the King as the South Waterloo Naval Veterans Association gathered for their annual Battle of the Atlantic ceremony. Like many landmarks around the world, the Cambridge—at the city hall there, it was lit in green to celebrate the pomp and pageantry taking place across the pond.

I know of several royal watchers in Cambridge who gathered around their televisions early Saturday morning to witness the crowning of the King and the Queen Consort, as I did also, and to take in the splendour of a once-in-a-lifetime event. Mr. Speaker, Saturday’s coronation was a spectacular event in our history as King Charles III completed his—

Speaker, this past Saturday, Canada joined nations across the Commonwealth in celebrating the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty the Queen Camilla. Whether in festivities here at Queen’s Park to events in Niagara, people across the province celebrated the first coronation of a head of state in the Commonwealth in some 70 years. The prayer of King Charles III, an important element of the liturgy of the coronation service on Saturday, especially spoke to me as a person of faith here at Queen’s Park:

God of compassion and mercy

whose Son was sent not to be served but to serve,

give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom

and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth.

Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction,

that together we may discover the ways of gentleness

and be led into the paths of peace,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Speaker, this prayer of the King meant a lot to me and, I know, to many in our land. I wish to conclude by reiterating the remarks of the Premier at his official statement on the coronation when he said, “As the King officially takes on his new role, I have no doubt that he will build on his mother’s legacy of duty, service and dedication to his people. On behalf of all Ontarians, I wish King Charles III and the Queen every success in their reign.”

Long live the King. God save the King. May the King reign forever.

I’m delighted today to speak about a momentous occasion that took place last Saturday: the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty the Queen. Many Ontarians woke up early to witness this historic event that unfolded on our screens. As we witnessed the grandeur and the majesty of this solemn occasion, it was impossible not to feel a sense of awe and wonder. It was a moment when we were reminded of the rich traditions and history that bind us together as a nation and the connections we share.

These connections extend to the city of Stratford and the St. James Anglican Church. As recounted by Reverend Rob Lemon, the church purchased a sizable piece of the magnificent blue carpet that was used during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, following a successful application by Archdeacon Lightburn, the priest at the time. That piece of carpet remains on display to this day in St. James’ sanctuary, a physical reminder of our bond to the crown.

The coronation served not only as an occasion for celebration and reflection, but it is also a reminder of the enduring strength and constancy of our parliamentary democracy and the constitutional monarchy. It’s a system of government that has stood the test of time and has ensured that our nation remains stable and prosperous.

On behalf of the people of Perth–Wellington, I wish King Charles and Her Majesty the Queen every success in their reign. May they lead our province, country and the Commonwealth with wisdom, grace and strength. Long live the King.

I would like to recognize councillor Colleen James from the region of Waterloo. Councillor James will be debating an important motion tomorrow at regional council to support Bill 5, the Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act.

You know me as a proud supporter of Carleton Ravens anything, and I’m proud to tell this House that Jennifer Brenning, the director of recreation and athletics for Carleton University, is here with us today. It’s good to see you. Corey Grant, the head football coach for the Carleton University Ravens, is also here. It’s great to see you. And my good friend Mohammad Ali Aumeer, one of Canada’s best hip-hop artists, is here with our health care advocates. It’s nice to see all of you.

May is Building Safety Month, and in the gallery today, we have Colin Brook, the executive chair of the Ontario Large Municipalities Chief Building Officials. We’ve got three representatives from OBOA: Joyanne Beckett, the president; Shawn Merriman, the treasurer; and Lawrence Wagner, the CEO. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I’m very pleased to say that, today, the page captain is from Oshawa. Sanskrati Goyal is our page captain, and she’s joined by her family today: her father, Mohit Kumar Goyal; her mother, Sonika Agrawal; brother, Samarth Goyal; and uncle, Ankit Agrawal. Welcome to Queen’s Park today.