Yesterday, in Ontario, we celebrated Family Day, a provincial holiday recognized by legislation in this very chamber. Today, I want to recognize another day of significance, Chosen Family Day, which is coming up in two days on February 22. On Chosen Family Day, we will recognize all Ontarians who have created families outside of traditional and legal definitions.

Chosen families are particularly common in queer and trans communities. We have historically high rates of separation from our birth families when they won’t accept us for living our authentic selves. We turn to elders in our community for life-saving support when our own families reject us. This is how I survived, Speaker, after coming out to my own parents at age 16.

People of many cultures and diverse social backgrounds create chosen families. Children in foster care, veterans, the elderly, the injured and sick receiving care, immigrants and refugees often come together when families of origin are unsafe, far away, unavailable to support them or simply don’t understand.

In collaboration with Friends of Ruby, a queer and trans youth shelter, last year I introduced my private member’s bill the Chosen Family Day Act, which would make February 22 Chosen Family Day in Ontario. This will send a strong and loving message to all chosen families that they are valued and that they are just as significant as traditional families of origin. Let’s honour them together.

It’s an honour to rise once again in the Ontario Legislature. I’d like to take this opportunity to share more good news with the Legislature on an important investment by this government in Sarnia–Lambton.

On February 9, I was honoured to join several members, including the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, to announce an investment of $4.5 million to increase access to pediatric services for children and youth in southwestern Ontario. This important investment included $964,000 in new annual funding for Pathways Health Centre for Children in my riding of Sarnia–Lambton.

This government is ensuring children and youth in every corner of the province have quick and convenient access to high-quality and convenient care. In fact, this government has increased the annualized funding to Pathways Health Centre for Children in Sarnia by more than $2.6 million since 2022. This is further evidence that our government is committed to reducing wait-lists, improving access to care and improving the quality of life for children and their families in Sarnia–Lambton.

I want to thank the government and the Minister of Health for continuing to make these important investments in Sarnia–Lambton.

Thank you, Speaker. I look forward to sharing more great news with you in the future.

Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

—the 2022-23 Annual Report of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario, from the office of the Ombudsman of Ontario;

—a report entitled Ontario School Boards: Enrolment, Finances and Student Outcomes, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario;

—a report entitled Expenditure Monitor 2023-24: Q2, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario; and

—a report entitled Economic and Budget Outlook, Winter 2024, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.

Early this month, we saw a major win for workers in Ontario as the Premier and his government lost their appeal on Bill 124. The courts upheld what we all knew: This legislation was unconstitutional. Rather than admit that they were wrong, this government has wasted time and money fighting against the very people he claims to care about, people he once called heroes.

This government works in the shadows, making insider deals and taking care of their own, while the people of Ontario struggle to survive. It takes massive demonstrations, relentless pressure, court rulings and public shaming for them to make the right decision. Bill 124, the greenbelt, hiding mandate letters—they know what they’re doing is wrong. It’s why they sneak language into their own legislation that absolves them from legal accountability.

The callousness and uncaring of this government are an affront to democracy. While the Ford government was fighting public workers’ right to fair compensation in the courts, we’ve watched our health care system decay. We’ve watched nurses leave the profession en masse. We’ve watched patients suffer the consequences of this government’s poor decisions.

I take heart, though. I trust the people of Ontario. I believe in them and their ability to see through this government’s taglines and slogans and see the real truth. The Bill 124 result is a reminder that when the people of Ontario unite and stand up against this government’s injustices, we win. This government should do well to remember: It is the people of Ontario who hold the power, not them.

The year is 2024 and intimate partner violence, gender-based violence and violence against women is still an epidemic. It is still a public health issue, yet the Conservatives refuse to declare this formally across Ontario in this Legislature. Intimate partner violence and femicide is on the rise. And 68 of the 86 recommendations from the Renfrew inquest fall under provincial jurisdiction and many could easily be implemented by this government. Yet, despite our calls, this government refuses to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.

I stand here again demanding that the Conservative government declare it an epidemic. It is an epidemic that disproportionately impacts women and girls, trans and non-binary people, women with disabilities, Black women, Indigenous women, women experiencing homelessness, underhoused women and immigrant, refugee and non-status women. Violence is socially and economically debilitating. Survivors have spoken and it’s time they listened.

This week, on February 21 and 22, Skills for Change, from my St. Paul’s community, will host our third annual Together Against Violence Symposium, where hundreds of us will gather to talk about solutions to gender-based violence.

Speaker, for over 40 years, they have been doing this work in our community, but I stand here today to say that our community leaders cannot do this alone. The first step to solving a problem is naming it. I beg of this government to name intimate partner violence, name gender-based violence and name violence against women what it is, and that, Speaker, is an epidemic.

Yesterday was Family Day, and in my riding of Mississauga–Lakeshore, my team and I held our annual free skate at the Clarkson arena. We had an incredible turnout of over 150 people, including many young families and children who enjoyed the hot chocolate and the mini hockey sticks and pucks.

Most importantly, community events like this give us an opportunity to meet constituents and listen to their concerns. Debra and several others were concerned with the rising cost of living, especially the rising federal carbon tax.

I want to thank Premier Ford and the Minister of Finance for joining us last week at the Pioneer Gas Station in Port Credit to announce an important measure to protect against any future carbon tax. I got my first job at that station when I was 16, pumping gas and propane. At the time, the price of gas was 33 cents per litre. Within the next six years, the federal carbon tax is scheduled to rise to more than 37 cents per litre—more than the price of gas when I had my first job there.

As I said, yesterday was Family Day. Over the weekend, my father-in-law, Giuseppe Di Lena, passed away with his family at his side. Giuseppe was a successful entrepreneur, but his family was what he was most proud of. He was a dedicated husband, father and nonno, who touched the lives of many, and he will be truly missed by everyone.

It’s great to see you all again. I’m very proud to rise today in recognition of our forestry, bioeconomy and mining industry leaders in the Thunder Bay and northern region.

On January 30, Tom Ratz of Resolute and Chris Walton of CRIBE partnered to host the forestry and bioeconomy opportunity road map round table, followed by the Ontario’s forestry bioeconomy workshop. And 80 representatives of these sectors participated in the day’s events, including our Indigenous partners and stakeholders, who have contributed significantly to modernization efforts. We were all extremely grateful that Minister Graydon Smith was able to join us in Thunder Bay.

The “themes for prosperity” examination included the topics of collaboration, innovation, embracing the global economy and staying focused. Decarbonization for remote locations using energy system solutions and decarbonization with the forest bioeconomy for the mining sector were also matters explored.

In closing, on behalf of our stakeholders and partners, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Premier Ford and Minister Graydon Smith for their investments to the critical research project that will enable the future sustainability of our forestry and bioeconomy sector. We will now work together to optimize value creation and synergies, and move from research to production and market. I look forward to our next steps and action items.

Mr. Speaker, it’s great to be back at the Legislature.

Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black people in Canada and their communities. In Orléans, we are fortunate to benefit from the diversity that a vibrant Black community has and the leadership that its members offer us.

The Global Community Alliance is a community-based organization, established with a mission to bring members of various communities together to organize and facilitate events that highlight diversity and inclusion, and to recognize the efforts of individuals, associations, businesses and others that are making a difference within our diverse community.

This year, Global Community Alliance is celebrating its 12th annual gala and awards ceremony in recognition of Black History Month. The brainchild of Orléans residents Kelly and Yomi Pratt, this annual event brings to a close Black History Month celebrations in the nation’s capital. Over the past 12 years, the gala has been one of the most sought-after events in Ottawa’s social calendar, and this year’s gala, the first since the pandemic, promises to be no different.

Proceeds will be donated to the Children at Risk association, an Ottawa-based community organization that provides services and programs to families of children diagnosed with autism. I’m very much looking forward to attending the event this weekend.

Good morning, Speaker. It feels good to be back. Colleagues, it’s good to see you all.

Last Thursday, I had the honour of joining the member from Eglinton–Lawrence and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health in announcing that the Grand River Community Health Centre in Brantford will receive $1.7 million; the Six Nations of the Grand River Family Health Team will receive $1.8 million; and De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre will receive $264,700.

This combined $3.8-million investment will allow over 14,000 new patients to be connected to primary health care in the province of Ontario and in my riding. These annualized investments will allow primary care teams to connect people to a range of health professionals, including doctors, nurse practitioners, registered and practical nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and dietitians, among others.

Timely access to primary care helps people stay healthier for longer with faster diagnosis and treatment, while relieving pressures on the emergency department and walk-in clinics. These investments into the Brantford–Brant community are keeping in line with our government’s other historic investments to expand medical schools and take down barriers so highly skilled medical professionals can practise in the province of Ontario.

I am proud to represent a government that prioritizes the health of Ontarians and is working to provide 98% of the province with primary care over the course of the next few years. I will continue to advocate for the resiliency of Brantford–Brant and will keep working to ensure that Ontario’s primary care system is more robust, public and accessible than ever.

I’d like to give a very warm welcome to my guest, Tenzin Choezin. She is a member of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and the youngest MP in the history of the Central Tibetan Administration. Welcome.

It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome the future nurse and my daughter, Suvidhi Anand, to Queen’s Park. Welcome, Suvidhi.

I’d like to introduce some visitors today: Wendy Campbell, Susan Girvan, John Bilodeau, Ruth Stern and G. Michael Katzmarek. Thank you so much for coming here today.

I just want to wish my chief of staff, Aryn Azzopardi, a very happy birthday today. Thank you so much for your hard work and have a wonderful day.

I’d like to warmly welcome my niece Jessica Fife, my nephew Fraser Evans, and my beautiful daughter, Claire Fife, to our House today. Welcome.

I want to introduce Karyn Popovich to the Legislature this morning. She has had a distinguished 40-plus-year career in the Ontario health care system. She has done it all, from being a nurse to becoming president and CEO of North York General Hospital, my home hospital. She has kept herself very busy. She can literally run circles around many people, and I mean that, because she’s a heck of a marathon runner.

I hope you enjoy your retirement. I’m looking forward to lunch. I’m buying. Thank you, Karyn.

I would like to introduce my friends Kate Dudley-Logue, Rhonda Allaby-Glass and Bruce McIntosh from the Ontario Autism Coalition. Welcome to your House this morning.

It’s probably no secret from some of my statements that I am an advocate of policing and a lover of social media. A little-known fact about me: I did my undergrad in philosophy, but it was specifically focusing on Islamic Golden Age philosophy and theology in a historical lens. I never thought all of those things would come together, but they did.

Early on in my journey of being an MPP, I was on Instagram, and I ended up connecting with a Toronto police officer where we were talking about school resource officers. Our friendship since then has developed significantly. My friend Farhan Ali, who is present here, is a Muslim officer, and his insights became incredibly important to me as an MPP representing a very diverse riding with a lot of newcomers to Canada. He was a wonderful resource for me.

I’m also, as you know, a big advocate of community policing, which is about building those relationships early on. What I’m very pleased to be commemorating today is that Farhan has joined with Constable Haroon Siddiqui, who was primarily our first Muslim liaison officer, and together, the two of them are now part of a new operation, a new organization, spearheaded by Officer Demkiw of the Toronto Police Service, to really maintain those relationships: to foster current relationships and build new ones in the Muslim community. I think that’s an absolutely wonderful initiative and, also, I want to celebrate good friends of mine.

Today, I rise to highlight Black History Month. It serves as a reminder of the enduring contributions of Black Canadians to the fabric of our nation. Among these, the legacy of Lincoln Alexander shines brightly—a symbol of resilience, leadership and transformative change. As the first Black member of Parliament, the first Black federal cabinet minister and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, he shattered racial barriers, blazing a trail for generations to come, a story of triumph over adversity.

His bust here in the Legislature stands as a monument of learning, reflection and action in pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable society.

That is why I’m thrilled about our government’s decision to incorporate mandatory Black history learning into our curriculum. By integrating Black history into our curriculum, we acknowledge that it is not separate from Canadian history, but an integral part of it. It is a history of resilience, creativity and perseverance in the face of immense challenges—a history that enriches our collective understanding of who we are as Canadians.

We applaud the tireless efforts of all the organizations and individuals who have championed Black history education in the past, and those that have carried the flame of informing and educating about our stories. Together, let us forge ahead, united in our commitment to a future where diversity is embraced and celebrated.

I just want to let everyone know that they have a reception at 5 today.

It is great to see the Ontario Autism Coalition in the chamber today. Welcome back to Queen’s Park.

I would like to welcome a group from the adult education program in my riding of Don Valley North. They have a trip to Queen’s Park. Welcome.