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.

I would like to thank Kim Wilson from Bowmanville for submitting this petition:

“Extend Access to Post-Adoption Birth Information.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas current legislation does not provide access to post-adoption birth information ... to next of kin if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased;

“Whereas this barrier to accessing post-adoption birth information separates immediate family members and prohibits the children of deceased adopted people from gaining knowledge of their identity and possible Indigenous heritage;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to extend access to post-adoption birth information ... to next of kin, and/or extended next of kin, if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased.”

I fully support this petition. I will sign it and pass it to page Jeremy to deliver to the table.

In London, agri-food is a big industry. At the London Economic Development Corp. we employ more than 7,000 people in 90-plus companies in London agri-food. The act, ARIO, was created in 1962, and you had mentioned there wasn’t a lot of feedback from OMAFRA, so I think maybe the government did do some discussion on this bill.

My question is, in the current scope of the bill, the research is limited to agriculture, veterinary medicine and household science. It doesn’t really adequately address the current research needs that farmers are anticipating, such as new technologies, robotics, digitization and data management. How do you think this new act will keep Ontario, number one, as the world leader in agriculture and food and share best practices and make sure that we actually thrive more in Ontario, keep the sector alive?