Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Ms. Scott moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 41, An Act to amend the Consumer Reporting Act and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017 with respect to certain debts incurred in relation to human trafficking / Projet de loi 41, Loi modifiant la Loi sur les renseignements concernant le consommateur et la Loi de 2017 sur la prévention de la traite de personnes et les recours en la matière à l’égard de certaines dettes contractées dans un contexte de traite de personnes.

Point of order, Speaker.

It is my pleasure to speak on the third reading of Bill 41, An Act to amend the Consumer Reporting Act and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017 with respect to certain debts incurred in relation to human trafficking, along with my fellow co-sponsors, the MPP from Ottawa–Vanier, the MPP from Spadina–Fort York and the MPP from Guelph.

Human trafficking is a horrific crime that shatters the lives of victims and has rippling consequences for survivors and their loved ones. Sex trafficking is not a foreign crime; it is here in our neighbourhoods, cities and rural communities. From what we can glean in Canada, 93% were Canadian and 60% of Canada’s human sex trafficking occurs in the province of Ontario, with the majority happening along Highway 401. However, unfortunately, victims are all across the province: in rural communities and northern communities as well as big cities.

It is a crime that targets the most vulnerable among us. In statistics from a few years ago, 95% of the sex-trafficked persons are women, teenagers and marginalized groups; 45% are between the ages of 18 to 24; 24% of the victims police reported were aged 17 and younger; and, Mr. Speaker, sadly to say, some as young as 10 and 11 years old. And they are getting younger.

They are often lured and groomed by people posing as boyfriends and are forced to hand over money associated with their exploitation. Various tactics and strategies are used to lure the victims, sometimes within five minutes or less from a park, a university campus or even a grocery store, and some from our elementary schoolyards—a horrific scenario to envision, yet a dark reality that needs to be addressed. Violence, threats of violence and debt bondage are often used as a means of control to force victims to perform sexual services.

Mr. Speaker, this government has not been idle in its commitment to protect Ontarians from this heinous crime. The Attorney General; Solicitor General; and ministers for labour; finance; health; children, community and social services; tourism, culture and sport; colleges and universities; and education have been active partners in advocacy and procuring vital funding and resources for survivors. And the work continues.

As many of my colleagues in the Legislature know, I have been working on raising awareness and prevention of human trafficking—human sex trafficking, especially—for a very long time. That’s why I’m happy to see such a large interest by members in the Legislature across all political aisles, and especially the new members who have joined the Legislature.

We are here today to take another step towards helping victims who have gone through traumatic experiences and horrible crimes to become survivors and to rebuild their lives. Bill 41 seeks to make sure that once a survivor escapes their abuser, they are not revictimized and obstacles in reclaiming their lives are overcome—which is what this bill aims to do.

Financial burdens associated with escaping their abusers affect every aspect of a survivor’s healing journey. The debts incurred by the abuser in the survivor’s name prevent them from getting an apartment, being approved for a loan, or even procuring a vehicle or an education. In some instances, victims feel safer to return to their trafficker rather than navigate the financial bureaucracy in erasing their fraudulent debt and beginning their new lives. This is a horrible thing to say.

I want to tell you a story told by Carly Kalish, executive director of Victim Services Toronto, who is a specialist in human trafficking and trauma-informed care. They had a young woman call their crisis line in the middle of the night. She told them that she was being forcibly confined in an apartment by her boyfriend. She wasn’t allowed to go out on her own or be in contact with any friends or family, and she was forced and exploited in the sex trade. Finally, one night, when he was sleeping, she gathered the courage to break the door and ran barefoot to the nearest Tim Hortons. Once she was there, she googled “Help 24 hours a day” and called for help. Victim Services Toronto sent her a cab that minute to Tims and Ubered her to the office. They set her up with safe accommodation, but she was so emotionally exhausted that she simply slept on their couch.

In the morning, she was confused. She had trouble remembering her own name and disclosed that she was pregnant. She could not decide whether to go back to her trafficker or start to rebuild her own life. This is the question all survivors ask themselves. One of the big concerns for this person was obviously her lack of resources. She had no home, no money, and every time she had considered leaving her trafficker in the past, he threatened her and told her that she would be in extreme debt without him. It turns out that he had used her name to open a credit card and to also apply for a car loan, such that she would be responsible for all the debt if she ever tried to leave him. This is a common story Victim Services Toronto hears daily. We know her name is Jessica, and she is a proud mother to a healthy baby girl now.

But the question of whether a victim of human trafficking is well-resourced enough to leave their trafficker is never one that a victim should ever have to face.

In November 2022, Victim Services Toronto acquired an organization called Project Recover, created by Richard Dunwoody—and we thank him for that. It is dedicated to supporting survivors of human trafficking by working with Canadian creditors, banks, telecom companies, car rental companies and property managers to remove fraudulent and coercive debt in the victim’s name. The program aims to ensure that survivors are not revictimized in the process of rebuilding their lives. The current challenge is that not all creditors and property managers are equally inclined to take the action necessary to cancel the debt owing in the name of the victim. Even if they are willing—and many are willing once they are made aware of the situation—it takes a long time and a lot of effort to ensure that credit bureaus remove the fraudulent debt that drags down the creditworthiness of the survivors. The process of cancelling fraudulent debt must be streamlined so that it’s easy for creditors while also collaborating with advocacy agencies who are well-versed in the trauma effects of human trafficking and financial advocacy in banks, which is why this bill is so important and we are here today.

It is a continuation of the work we have already done to protect survivors of human trafficking in Ontario. Through this legislation, we are committing our focus on the fight against human trafficking by creating a path forward where coerced debts for survivors can be relieved. As the multi-party co-sponsors for this bill already know, this legislation spans multiple ministries; and we have consulted experts, hearing testimonies from advocates and, of course, the brave survivors themselves who came forward to share their stories. This is not a partisan piece of legislation. We all agree that survivors should not have to finance the debt incurred while they were trafficked.

I want to thank several people and bodies for their assistance and devotion in seeing this bill come to life. I want to give a special thank you to the member from Ottawa–Vanier for her introduction of this bill, for working across all party lines to make this bill a reality. I want to thank the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services; the Ministry of the Attorney General; and the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. I’ve said the bill was complicated, and it was complicated. But I also want to thank the Canadian Bankers Association; Nick Colosimo was in many times to help us. I also want to thank: from Equifax, Julie Kuzmic; Clarke Cross from TransUnion; and the support of the Canadian Credit Union Association—their support, their guidance, their dedication and their passion. Collectively we all want to try to make this path better for survivors to move on with their lives. And, as I said, a special thank you to all the parties that were involved and the dedication of the many ministries.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. It’s been a pleasure to be here for third reading of this bill, and I now hand it over to the other co-sponsors to speak.

It’s a real pleasure to be here this morning. I’ve got a special treat. My daughter Stephanie has joined us this morning just to give her support, so thank you, Stephanie. I know I’m going to get an earful about that after I leave this place, but anyway.

This morning I’m really filled with hope, optimism and gratefulness as I rise to participate in the debate on Bill 41, which is an extremely important bill that, if passed, would provide much-needed relief to survivors of human trafficking. I want to start by thanking the government for following through on bringing this piece of proposed legislation to this next stage. This is part of the gratefulness I feel this morning. Seeing this proposed legislation reach third reading is truly special for me, as I started working on this more than two years ago—in fact, not very long after I was first elected.

It was Richard Dunwoody who connected with me in the spring of 2021 to let me know of the financial help he’s been providing to survivors of human trafficking through his Project Recover. He then arranged for a meeting with a survivor in my own riding. And I have to say, after that meeting I was compelled of the need to try and do something. Since then, Richard has never stopped pushing for a solution, bringing examples after examples of injustices toward so many survivors. We definitely owe him the initiation of the work on this bill.

I tabled the first version of this bill back in 2022; that was in March 2022. The bill died on the order paper when the election was called, but I was determined to bring it back if I was re-elected. Before re-tabling, I started to imagine that maybe I could find someone in each party to support it. And it happened; not overnight, but it happened. It doesn’t happen often in this House to have this kind of collaboration. So I want to sincerely thank my colleagues who agreed to sponsor this bill and have worked really hard to get it to this point. So, thank you to the member for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, the member for Spadina–Fort York and the member for Guelph for all the work you are have done to build support for this bill on both sides of the aisle. This bill is a testament to the way that working together can lead to practical solutions that can truly make life better for Ontarians. It would be great to see more of that in this House.

Feedback from experts, victims, survivors, agencies, police services and financial institutions like Equifax, TransUnion, credit unions and the Canadian Bankers Association was essential to creating strong legislation. So, I want to thank all the stakeholders who have supported Bill 41 throughout this process and who took the time to provide some detailed recommendations on how to improve the legislation.

The committee stage is an important part of the legislative process, as you know, and it’s an excellent opportunity for us, as elected officials, to listen to the concerns of stakeholders across the province and use the feedback to improve legislation. I, personally, found it very powerful to listen to the various testimonies and perspectives on Bill 41 that were shared in committee, during public hearings. I want to thank everyone who took the time to make a presentation to us, especially the survivors who have accepted, once again, to tell their compelling stories.

While there was some disagreement on the details of the implementation of the bill, what was extremely clear was that everyone—no exception—supported the legislation. Everyone agreed that survivors of human trafficking should not be held responsible for debts that were incurred in their name while they were being trafficked. At the end of the day, that is what this bill accomplishes. It provides a legislative framework that will protect survivors from coerced debts and allow them to move on with their lives.

Speaker, what those public hearings highlighted was the need to get the legislation passed and implemented as quickly as possible. Survivors need our support today. This bill was amended in committee to make it come into force on an unspecified day in the future to be determined by the government. While I recognize the practical challenges that come with the implementing a piece of legislation—and as the member for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock clearly indicated—there is a lot of work required and several ministries involved, but I also know that survivors need the help now so that they can move on with their lives.

If Bill 41 is passed today, I strongly urge this government to move as quickly as they can to get this bill implemented and bring it into force. Survivors of human trafficking want to put their past behind them and build a better future for themselves, but they are often hindered in that pursuit by bad credit ratings and coerced debts. By implementing the measures in Bill 41, we can help these survivors get out from under the burden of financial debt that was placed on them by their traffickers and empower them to move forward. Bill 41 will allow survivors of human trafficking to get a credit card, student loans, mortgages, and other lines of credit that many of us take for granted. Bill 41 will protect survivors from debts they did not incur and help them get the credit they need to build a better future for themselves.

However, while the measures in Bill 41 are important, we cannot stop there. Human trafficking in Ontario is still far too common, and we must act now to protect our young people. I can’t help thinking of my three daughters. They were all in school just recently, one of whom is still there. That’s why training and education is a huge part of the solution to this. We need to ensure that kids in high school are aware of the dangers and can recognize the situations that often lead to trafficking. This particular fact was actually highlighted by survivors who came to committee, highlighting the importance of providing education as to how young kids fall into the trap. Many of these dangerous situations and relationships occur online. Both kids and their parents or caregivers must be aware of the tactics that are employed by traffickers and be able to recognize them.

About a year ago, I met with Dr. Charlene Doak-Gebauer, who has worked extensively on the issue of digital supervision. She has produced a documentary highlighting the dangers that teenagers can come across online and the need for adult supervision.

That’s why I tabled another bill: It’s Bill 133, the Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2023. The community has a responsibility to protect children from these risks through education and supervision. We need to empower our teenagers to recognize dangerous situations and avoid them. We must also ensure that there are support mechanisms in place so that young people know where to turn if they need help or someone to talk to.

Bill 41 is an important step forward in better supporting survivors of human trafficking, but it cannot be the end. We must also take measures to keep young people safe and prevent human trafficking from occurring in the first place. I encourage the government to continue to take action on this important file.

Thank you once again to everyone who has supported this bill and helped us get to where we are today. I want to give a special shout-out to Ty Bradley and David Nightingale on my team who provided me with incredible support as we worked through all the necessary steps in these past years. I hope that, together, we can get this bill passed today and provide survivors of human trafficking with this much-needed relief.

Further debate?

Je commence en français. La traite des personnes est l’un des crimes qui connaît la plus forte croissance dans le monde, et au Canada, l’Ontario en est la capitale. C’est une infraction criminelle grave selon le Code criminel du Canada. Elle consiste à recruter, à transporter ou à héberger une personne, ou à en contrôler les déplacements en utilisant la force, la contrainte physique ou psychologique, ou la tromperie. Les trafiquants endettent souvent leurs victimes, et ceci doit changer. Le projet de loi va protéger les victimes de traite des personnes contre toutes ces dettes.

I want to thank all of the members in the House and all of the members of the committee. In particular, I want to thank the member from Ottawa–Vanier, the member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock and the member from Guelph for co-sponsoring this legislation. This is a really important piece of legislation.

I first came across this issue when I met Richard Dunwoody. He had started a program called Project Comfort which was providing supports to people in shelters in our riding in Spadina–Fort York. He bought a large barbecue, and he was organizing barbecues. He organized clothing drives and other things for people in the shelters. When he was there, one of the things he came across was that many of the people in the shelters were survivors of human trafficking. The reason they couldn’t move out of the shelters was because while they were being trafficked, their traffickers had put imposed debts on their names.

Some of them had been kidnapped while they were students; they had bad OSAP debts. Sometimes, the traffickers applied for OSAP loans in the victim’s name. Sometimes, the trafficker would have the victim driving a vehicle without proper insurance, without proper papers, and that person would get pulled over and fined. And then that fine was on the victim’s name, even when they were able to get away from the trafficker. So these debts follow the people, and because of them, the survivors, even when they escaped, had bad credit ratings; and because of those credit ratings, they weren’t able to rent accommodation.

And when they received, for example, payments for example for Ontario Works or ODSP, some of them were actually clawed back. Some of them were clawed back by the government to pay for these bad OSAP debts or to pay for these fines. So they were stuck.

So, Richard Dunwoody—and I’ve got to give credit to him because the reason that we’re all here today and that this legislation has come so far is because of his incredible advocacy—started another project, called Project Recover, to support survivors and try to expunge these fraudulent debts that were incurred in the survivors’ names.

This legislation has gone through a couple of different versions. The first one: I brought forward a motion in 2020 to have the government expunge fraudulent debts and government fines. Then MPP Collard from Ottawa–Vanier brought forward the first version of this legislation in 2021, and now we’re in the second version of this legislation. I’ve got to give credit to the member from Ottawa–Vanier. She was able to get all-party support for this legislation, and this is—in the five years that I’ve been serving—only the second piece of legislation that I can think of off the top of my head where we’ve got all-party support. This is the kind of thing that I would like to see a lot more in this legislature, where everybody’s coming together.

When we were in committee, there was no question that this legislation was going to get through. Everybody in the committee from all parties was supportive of this legislation. There were questions about how it’s going to be implemented, and there are still questions about making sure that when this is implemented survivors are not revictimized by having to retell their story over and over again.

And to the people in the government services who will be developing the implementation plan, please keep that in my mind. We’ve got it in Hansard now, but it’s also in the minutes from the committee meetings. It’s an important piece of legislation because it frees the survivors of human trafficking from those debts so that they can get on with their lives.

I want to thank all of the members. I’ve thanked the members who have brought this forward, but I also want to thank the Canadian Bankers Association, and I want to thank in particular the survivors through several press conferences through the last three years who have come forward and told their stories so that we could understand what was happening and could understand why this legislation was so essential. Can we give a round of applause? And we have a survivor here today.

Applause.

Further debate?

I also want to talk about some of the successes, like some of the things that can happen because this legislation is being passed and some of the successes that Project Recover accomplished, even before this legislation. So, in the last few years, Project Recover has helped more than 500 survivors to expunge $3.5 million in coerced debts. They’ve provided housing for students. Richard Dunwoody is very proud of the success that these survivors have accomplished. He sent me one time—and I think he sent it to all of us—the report card from one of the survivors who had her coerced debt expunged, and she had a 99% average. Another one is running her own business now. So this is the kind of success that this kind of legislation can unleash.

It’s not for everyone. For the most part Project Recover has been quite successful, because most financial institutions in this province are willing to expunge those debts when they realize that they were fraudulently incurred or that it was part of human trafficking. There are some that are a bit resistant, and this legislation is to deal with that resistance so that nobody who’s a survivor of human trafficking has to deal with those debts.

I would just say, in closing, this is an important step and I want to thank the member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock for her continued advocacy for survivors of human trafficking and to bring and end to human trafficking. There’s other things that we need to do as well. We need to restore the victim compensation program, because survivors need some money to get started. When they escape their trafficker, they need money to get started and to rebuild their lives. It’s not just survivors of human trafficking, it’s all victims of violent crime who need that compensation to be restored.

We need Ontario Works and ODSP rates to be increased. Many of the survivors that Richard Dunwoody met in the shelters were living on Ontario Works. The shelter allowance for Ontario Works is $390 a month. That’s another reason why they were stuck in the shelters and not able to move out. You cannot rent anything, anywhere in Ontario, to live in for $390 a month. So, Ontario Works and ODSP rates need to increase. He said that 87% of the survivors that he met initially were on Ontario Works and ODSP. Those rates have to be increased.

The other thing that Richard has asked us is that we need to make sure that staff in banks, in hotels and in government agencies are trained to recognize the signs of someone being trafficked. He gave an example of a woman who was a victim, who was taken into a bank and asked to sign a credit card loan. When she resisted, the trafficker actually twisted her arm and forced her to sign. We need to make sure that banks, government agencies, and hotel staff recognize the signs that someone is being trafficked so that they can alert the police and the authorities, and that we may be able to get that person out of that situation. This is an important step.

Again, thank you to everybody for bringing it to this point, but there are many other steps that we also need to take to bring an end to human trafficking in Ontario.

Further debate?

Ms. Scott has moved third reading of Bill 41, An Act to amend the Consumer Reporting Act and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017 with respect to certain debts incurred in relation to human trafficking. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carries? Carried.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion. Congratulations.

Third reading agreed to.

The House recessed from 0940 to 1015.

Heart and Stroke is at Queen’s Park today. Since I was elected, we have worked together many times to call on the government to introduce health promotion and disease prevention initiatives.

I am happy to report that thanks to their support, we have taken many steps forward. Ontario has banned flavoured cigarillos; they were marketed to youth to get them addicted to nicotine. Restaurants now put calorie labelling on their menus to help people make healthier choices.

In 2019, Heart and Stroke joined me in support of a bill to create an automatic external defibrillator registry that 911 operators could use to direct callers in the event of a cardiac arrest. Although it became law three years ago, it is still not implemented, but I am hopeful.

Heart and Stroke is here today because there’s so much more that needs to be done. Ontario needs to be informed, educated, and raise awareness about heart and brain health. We need to accelerate critical research to improve outcomes for people living with heart disease and stroke. And we need to support people in their health journey and recovery.

Heart and Stroke does all of this with their advocacy for public policies, for healthier environments, for improved access to support services and for a strong and equitable health care system. Thank you, Heart and Stroke, for all you do and for all that your volunteers do. Ontario is healthier because of your hard work. Thank you. Merci.

No further business.

I would like to thank the Associate Minister of Housing, Minister Flack, for his visit in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell last week. We had the opportunity to participate in the inaugurations of two new senior citizens’ housing projects in St-Albert and Vankleek Hill. Our government did provide close to $3 million to help create affordable housing units in the united counties of Prescott and Russell to support our seniors.

The new building at the Résidence Lajoie in St-Albert consists of a two-storey building with 26 units, six of which are fully accessible. Residents have access to fitness equipment, a shared recreational space and a meeting room. The new three-storey building at the Vankleek Hill Senior Citizens Manor includes 30 housing units. The building is also energy-efficient and designed to meet VisitAbility standards with accessibility features such as wide doors and everything.

It was nice to meet with the new tenants that had moved only a few days prior to our visit. We were able to reiterate on our commitment to helping more Ontarians find a home they can afford and that meets their needs. I would like to thank the board members from both non-profit organizations. They have some opportunities from different governments for funding, but it takes their implication, through these volunteers on the boards, to do the work and make it happen.

Me and the minister stopped by the St-Albert cheese factory to get some cheese curds and also stopped by Beau’s beer and Dunrobin Distilleries in Vankleek Hill to shop for Christmas presents. It was a great day.

It’s an honour today to rise to speak to Bill 41. It’s an even deeper honour to be one of the co-sponsors of this bill. I want to thank my colleague from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, my colleague from Spadina–Fort York, and I’m most thankful to my colleague from Ottawa–Vanier for taking the lead on bringing this legislation forward.

If passed, Bill 41 would be the second bill in Ontario’s history to be sponsored by all four political parties here in the Legislature. This bill is especially important, Speaker, because it will make a huge concrete, practical difference in the lives of survivors of human trafficking.

I want to, as my colleagues have mentioned, give a shout-out to Richard Dunwoody, who first brought to my attention the issue and the financial challenges that survivors of human trafficking face. I want to thank everybody who has provided input on this bill, provided feedback on this bill and has worked hard throughout the process of this bill; getting it to the place it is this morning. I know the details of this bill—we’ve had some long conversations about it, some conversations in committee about how it would be implemented, but I want to say that what has been unequivocally clear to me throughout all those conversations is the unanimous support for this bill and what this bill intends to accomplish.

If passed, Bill 41 will provide great relief to the survivors of human trafficking from incurred fraudulent debt and, in doing so, allow them to move one step closer to reclaiming their freedom and their lives as survivors of human trafficking. Speaker, 65% of police-reported human trafficking cases in Canada in the last decade were right here in Ontario, with 95% of those cases affecting women, teenagers and marginalized groups in our society. In most of these cases, survivors were unaware of the accumulating fraudulent debt that they were accumulating because of their trafficking situation.

If you think about it—think about the trauma, think about what it has done to your life, and think about the courage it takes to survive and remove yourself from human trafficking. And then think about how you must feel when you realize that the debt that has nothing to do with you but is fraudulently in your name is preventing you from getting a student loan or applying for a car loan, applying for a mortgage, possibly renting an apartment, securing a credit card. So many of the things and the financial tools and instruments that so many people just take for granted as part of everyday life—imagine that being denied to you. That’s what’s so important about this bill.

But I will say, in my conversations with survivors of human trafficking, there’s even a deeper importance to this bill. I had one survivor tell me that every time she heard the phone ring, it retriggered her trauma. Most of the times when that phone rang, it was a debt collector trying to collect the debt that her trafficker incurred in her name. She said to me, “Yes, I want my financial life back. I want the independence and freedom that brings. But what I want as much or more than that is just for the phone to stop ringing, so I don’t have to relive that trauma each and every time I hear it.”

When we talk about what we can do and what a difference this bill is going to make in somebody’s life, I think of those stories. I think of those stories, Speaker. This bill will open doors of financial opportunity that will allow survivors to move forward.

I want to say to my colleagues on all sides of the House that by coming together today and—I’m hoping—unanimously voting in support of this bill, we are enabling survivors to move past a dark chapter of their life.

I want to echo my colleague from Spadina–Fort York’s comments about some of the other things we can do, because we know that while this is a vital step, there are more steps to take. Today, Ontario interval and transitional housing supporters are here as part of the Wrapped in Courage Campaign. We know that a number of survivors of human trafficking end up in shelters, and those shelters are underfunded. Those shelters need support. We need support for victim compensation. We need to ensure we address the housing affordability crisis so those survivors have a safe, affordable home to go to.

Speaker, I’m proud of the work that we’ve all done together across party lines to bring this bill forward. It’s a positive step. It’s a step I believe we can all be proud of. Once again, I want to thank my colleague from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, not only for your advocacy on this bill but for your advocacy on human trafficking. My colleague from Spadina–Fort York, thank you for standing up and bringing Richard Dunwoody’s vision to reality through this bill. And my colleague from Ottawa–Vanier, thank you for having the insight to say, “You know what? Let’s bring all parties together to sponsor this bill, to not make it just in my name, but to make it in the name of all four parties.” Because I think it is so important, Speaker, to send a direct message to the survivors of human trafficking that this is a bill, and you as a survivor—we see you, we hear you, we’re going to act for you and we’re going to do it in a way that brings everybody in this Legislature together, to say that all Ontarians have your back. And we’re going to give you the tools to have financial freedom.

Thank you, Speaker, and thank you all for your participation in today’s debate.

On Monday, November 27, members of the Sikh community celebrated Gurpurab, the 554th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.

Gurpurab is a holy and religious holiday for members of the Sikh community, including myself. This most sacred day in the Sikh calendar is traditionally observed by attending gurdwaras and participating in “seva,” selflessly serving others without expectation of recognition or reward.

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled on foot with a mission of uniting the world through love and kindness. His teachings and lessons contributed to the creation of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, which is the central holy religious scripture in Sikhism. The three core teachings in Sikhi are Naam Japna, remembering God at all times; Kirat Karni, earning an honest living; and Vand Chakna, sharing your earnings with the less fortunate.

Speaker, I would like to emphasize Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s selfless and compassionate nature, always preaching for kindness and unity. Gurpurab serves as a commemoration of his life, accomplishments and, notably, his enduring legacy.

It was a pleasure to join everyone at the Kanata Santa Claus Parade this past Saturday. I can’t wait for all our other communities to join in the fun. Constance Bay on Saturday the 2nd, and the villages of Carp and Fitzroy Harbour on Saturday the 9th. I want to thank all of the volunteers that make these parades happen.

This time of year is a special opportunity for us to come together to celebrate the spirit of generosity and to appreciate the blessings we have, as a community. Whatever tradition you celebrate, may this season bring you love, joy, reflection and time with your loved ones.

In Kanata–Carleton, our loving communities are our strength. As we gather with friends and families, let us also remember those who may be facing challenges and extend a hand of kindness and support. I would encourage everyone to give to their local food bank. May the festive lights brighten your homes, and the laughter of loved ones warm your heart.

As your representative in the Ontario provincial Parliament, I am grateful for the privilege to serve the people of Kanata–Carleton. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday season. May love, joy, and peace be the gifts we give each other. Lord knows the world could use more of that.

Today, the members in the Legis-lature are wearing purple scarves in honour of the Wrapped in Courage campaign. And today, we have many agencies that support female victims of violence and that are also fighting for an end of violence against women. This Wrapped in Courage campaign was organized by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses. They note that it takes an entire community to bring an end to gender-based violence, and they’re asking everyone to support survivors of gender-based violence and become part of Ontario-wide efforts to bring an end to this violence. They’re in the House today, and I met some of them before this, just a few minutes ago.

That they’re in the House today is very auspicious, because this morning we had the third reading of Bill 41, which is a bill to bring an end to coerced debts for survivors of human trafficking. This bill was passed by all parties. It’s an all-party bill, and we’re looking forward to the implementation so that survivors who are encumbered by debts from their trafficking, by their traffickers, will have those debts expunged so that they can get on with their lives.

I want to thank all of the agencies who are here for the Wrapped in Courage campaign for all of the work that you do to provide supports to women who are victims of abuse, and also to survivors of human trafficking. Thank you for being here.

We’re looking all looking forward to the day—November 25, we will note that it’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It’s a day that we should all recognize and all commit ourselves to do our part to bring an end to gender-based violence.

Ontarians are relying more on food banks than ever before, yet the Premier says Ontario is 1,000 times better now than when he took office in 2018. Speaker, make that make sense.

Feed Ontario released its 2023 Who’s Hungry report on Monday. It shared concerning statistics about the reality for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians. Food banks are struggling to keep up with the continued rapid rise in demand. Between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, over 800,00 people accessed a food bank in Ontario, visiting nearly 5.9 million times; this is an increase of 38%, and 36% over the previous year, and the largest single-year increases ever recorded by Ontario’s food bank network. In Windsor, pre-pandemic, they were serving about 300; now it’s about 1,500. The report states that two in five visitors had never visited a food bank before, an increase of 41% over the previous year. Workers are turning to food banks in greater numbers, with more than one in six visitors now citing employment as their primary source of income. Social assistance remains a significant driver of food bank use, with recipients of OW and ODSP increasing by 17% over last year. The majority of food banks are worried about meeting the need in their community, with 69% of food banks concerned about having enough food and 53% indicating that they were worried that they do not have enough funding to adequately sustain service.

Speaker, poverty is a policy choice; it’s this Conservative government’s choice. Ontarians deserve better.

Last weekend, our country and, really, the world lost a remarkable individual. Mr. George Cohon, founder of McDonald’s Canada, passed away at the age of 86. And I wanted to honour his memory in the House today and acknowledge his incredible legacy and impact on our province and country.

Although George was born in Chicago, he believed completely in Canada’s distinct identity. He made sure that he used Canadian suppliers, and included the red maple leaf logo in the Canadian arches in McDonald’s.

In 1977, he created McHappy Day. And in 1981, he brought the first Ronald McDonald House to Canada. Today, there are 16 houses across the industry helping over 26,000 families a year and giving them a place to stay while their children face health issues in hospitals.

He has been honoured with so many distinctions for his philanthropy, including the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.

In 1982, Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade almost came to an end, and George stepped up and he saved and he preserved it—and usually, he dressed up as a clown and he joined in on the fun.

When he was asked about his biggest accomplishment, George said this: “Getting involved with McDonald’s allowed me to do for other people. And that’s the charities—the Ronald McDonald Houses; the McHappy Day. The pride I have ... not only to sell hamburgers ... but to be a good member in communities around the world—to help society.”

For George, it was always about community over self. May his legacy live on.

It’s Christmas parade season, and all across the valley, communities are getting together to do something that everybody loves.

In my riding, each and every parade is a special experience that speaks in a very visual way about the people, the organizations, the businesses, and their expressions of community spirit. This past weekend, I was able to attend parades in both Cobden and Pembroke.

The Cobden parade is a daytime parade that brings out people from all around the area and sends out the message that Christmas is near. As the first parade of the season, that is most appropriate. I even had the opportunity to entertain the crowd with my rendition of the Burl Ives classic, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

The Pembroke parade is an evening event, and this year’s edition was truly spectacular. Over 100 floats took part in the parade, witnessed by the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen. The floats and the work that goes into them is something to appreciate. My hat goes off to all those who work so hard to make these parades so very special.

What really is the most wonderful part of the Christmas/Santa Claus parades is the joy and excitement shown by the children as they anxiously await the arrival of the jolly old elf.

As I move along the route, exchanging greetings with so many people, it is the reactions of the children that leave the most lasting impression. The joy of children; isn’t that what it’s all about?

I look forward to experiencing more of it this weekend.

I want to pay tribute today to the recipient of the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce, 2023 Award of Excellence for Citizen of the Year, in my riding, my friend, Mr. Tom Russell.

As a community volunteer, Tom has played instrumental roles in fundraising campaigns that have secured millions of dollars in support of many, many worthy causes. In his professional capacity as the long-serving executive director of the Thousand Islands Community Futures Development Corp., he has played a critical role in supporting hundreds of small businesses with tens of millions of dollars in financial assistance and countless hours of professional advice, helping to create thousands of jobs along the way.

Tom has worked has worked closely with a variety of stakeholders to author or co-author numerous funding applications, which have collectively generated additional millions of dollars in support for community projects. His extensive volunteer and professional roles have Tom sit or chair on many influential boards and committees over the years in my riding.

Tom was born and raised in Brockville and has been with his lovely wife, Kimberley, for 34 years. Tom Russell is one of those special people who has dedicated his life to public service. My riding really owes him a debt of gratitude. Congratulations, my friend. Your parents, Ron and Emma, would have been so very proud of your accomplishments. Congratulations.