Good morning, Speaker. Just two days ago, the Persian community around the world came together to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, marking the beginning of spring and a season of renewal and hope.

This year’s Nowruz celebration included the Haftseen Bazaar celebration in Oakville. I was happy to attend this amazing celebration and event in my home riding of Oakville. Over the course of three days in March, the Haftseen Bazaar became a hub of joy and cultural exchange. I want to recognize and thank Bita Fanaei, whose dedication brought to life an event that was nothing short of incredible.

Persian Heritage Month is celebrated throughout March. Thanks to the great members from Carleton and Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed Bill 271 in 2021, proclaiming March as Persian Heritage Month.

With thousands of years of history and tradition, Persian culture is rooted in one of the oldest civilizations. From ancient Mesopotamia to Cyrus the Great’s founding of the first Persian empire and beyond, Persians have held a home at the centre of countless empires, trade routes and cultures for centuries.

Over the past century, Ontario has been proud to welcome tens of thousands of Persian immigrants, growing into the largest Persian community in Canada.

I want to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous Nowruz, and may this year be the fresh beginnings of peace and happiness.

I know the member opposite has touched on transparency and diversity of voices as being issues of concern. In terms of the legislation that’s put forward here, there is a broadening out of the regulated college so that it’s not just focused on veterinarians but also on veterinary technicians etc. So it’s bringing more regulation, more professionalism to the sector and, I think, also bringing more voices to the table. As we all know, being in government or politics, we’re here in the chamber, but there’s a lot more people who are beside us and behind us that people don’t see that are part of the process—no different than the medical profession, legal profession etc.

Do you think this bill brings about better transparency and professionalism to the voices within the veterinary community?