Tomorrow, this government will table their budget. It has been said many times in this House that a budget is a moral document. Theology teaches us that those with political power and economic wealth are to use their position to benefit those who society has marginalized. At a time when so many Ontarians are struggling to find housing, to feed themselves, we are looking for this government to provide relief.

We are also witnessing a large increase in femicides in this province. Gender-based violence is an epidemic. Despite our pleas, this government has continued to refuse to name it as an epidemic. This government has failed to introduce any new initiatives or investments to protect and ensure that women and children are safe in Ontario. Women in my riding are waiting over six months for services from sexual assault centres and 18 months for supervised access programs. Organizations across Ontario that help victims of gender-based violence have not had an increase in 15 years.

But, unfortunately, what we are seeing is a government that is increasing our tax dollars going to campaign-style ads that are nothing but self-congratulatory. This government refuses to tell us how they are spending our money, so through a freedom-of-information request, we have discovered that the government has spent about $8 million so far—that doesn’t include the $38 million on ads this government has placed since 2019. That’s a lot of tax money that could have gone into investments in health care, in housing and preventing gender-based violence.

Ontarians will be watching and hoping to see a budget that shows that this government understands that it is their moral responsibility to help the people of Ontario.

I am proud to rise to speak to this debate.

It is an important bill, and I congratulate the member for bringing it forward. It’s also an example of how, in this House, private members’ public business is important. We can get important work done.

I have to say, I brought forward a bill called the Nancy Rose Act to address pediatric palliative care in the province of Ontario, which was a good bill.

My seatmate, the MPP for Hamilton Mountain, has a bill, Bill 74, vulnerable persons alert act—another important bill.

So the business that we bring to this House—private members’ public business—is important, and this is an example of that.

I was honoured to spend the day in Anishinaabe territory. I was invited to Peterborough. I would like to acknowledge that Anishinaabe territory, Peterborough county, is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaties First Nation.

We started the day with a smudge that was conducted by Murray Whetung’s son Lorenzo Whetung. He asked us to cleanse our ears and our minds and our tongue so that the proceedings of the day would allow us to be open to one another and to share important moments, and I think that is what we did during that day.

As has been said by my colleagues on the other side, we heard from Murray’s family. It was an absolute honour to hear from their mouths directly the legacy of their father and their grandfather, to hear about his character, and to hear about the injustices that he suffered that also impacted his family and that he suffered with grace and dignity. Murray Whetung is a lesson not only in his service, in his dedication to helping others, but in the way that he continued to raise a family and conduct himself in our community—commendable. His family—it was quite obvious during the day that they were exceedingly proud of him, and rightfully so.

I want to say that this is a bill that we absolutely supported at second reading.

I would like to take a moment, if you don’t mind, to share what our critic for Legions, military and veteran affairs had to say—that’s the MPP for St. Catharines:

“I fully support this bill, as a proud mother of a son in the Canadian navy and a proud Legion member. It is so important that the cadet program in Ontario is recognized....

“I want to say thank you to all the youth in the cadet programs—the youth that stand guard in all inclement weather at our local cenotaph.”

Again, I need to emphasize that she is the proud mother of an active service member, and she stands tall and is always prepared to support and defend the rights of our military veterans.

I also want to say, during second reading, we talked a lot about the experience of Indigenous First Nations in Far North remote communities. I would like to suggest that we need to acknowledge that there are so many injustices that need to be set straight—the fact that there is not clean drinking water in Far North communities, the fact that we continue to see lack of housing. The infrastructure deficit when it comes to Indigenous First Nations communities is in the billions. We see communities where family members die, literally, for the lack of a fire station, where a nursing station burns down and it’s not replaced. So these are important injustices that weren’t happening 50, 70 years ago—they’re happening right now, today. And it is my hope that this bill will help us to acknowledge that. It is a first step in acknowledging that.

We did hear very specifically from the MPP from Kiiwetinoong, who shared that every day in this House he brings to this House the concerns and the struggles and the real, real suffering of the people of his communities.

We also heard from the MPP from Mushkegowuk–James Bay, who also shared that while this bill is important, it cannot stand alone; it has to be looked at in the context of what we are experiencing right now, today, in Indigenous communities across the province.

So while I think this is an important bill, I’m hoping that this is an opportunity for the government to actually start to step up to address the injustices that are happening in our Indigenous communities across Ontario.

As has been said, we know that Indigenous veterans and Indigenous soldiers stood side by side their Canadian comrades, and many of them served with distinction.

In researching this bill, I was able to research a gentleman by the name of Thomas George Prince, who was an Indigenous Canadian war hero. He was the most decorated soldier in the First Special Service Force, or what’s known as the Devil’s Brigade. They served in Anzio. I have said it before in this House, and I’ll say it again: My uncle Albert Gavin also served in the Devil’s Brigade in Anzio. So while my uncle Albert—uncle Red, as we actually called him—well, Uncle Red is no longer with us, I wish I had known this, because it certainly would be a really interesting moment to make this connection—to hear first-hand. It’s quite possible that he served alongside Murray Whetung.

We need to understand that Indigenous soldiers and veterans are highly, highly decorated. Thomas George Prince is just one of those.

Even though they were equals on the battlefield, we have heard that they couldn’t vote, and in many cases, Indigenous veterans were unable to receive veterans’ benefits. So for decades, they were forgotten soldiers. In some cases, they had to give up their status rights in order to serve and then give up status rights in order to receive benefits. And unfortunately, many Indigenous veterans, as we have heard, were banned from Royal Canadian Legions. They were also unable to get advice on post-war benefits. In some instances—it’s hard to believe this—Indigenous folks had to give up their land to returning veterans who were non-Indigenous.

These are injustices that are hard to fathom, but this is what Indigenous veterans suffered in our communities.

We know that there are still many Indigenous veterans who have not received entitlements. Despite the fact the federal government issued an apology in 2003 and compensated many, there are still many who have not received their justful entitlements.

Before I go any further, I want to acknowledge that this bill is an important acknowledgement and recognition of Murray Whetung and Indigenous veterans who have served in our province.

I also think it’s important to acknowledge that November 8 is National Indigenous Veterans Day. This is a day of remembrance and commemoration of the contributions of Indigenous veterans in the First and Second World Wars, as well as those serving in Korea. National Indigenous Veterans Day began in Winnipeg in 1994, because they acknowledged that veterans were not recognized in Remembrance Day activities.

In Canada, there are over 12,000 Indigenous people—that’s an estimation—who participated in all three wars, including 7,000 First Nation members and approximately 300 who died during these conflicts.

As we have said, after the war, enlisted Indigenous people returned home to continued discrimination—in some cases, denial of benefits, loss of statu,s and expropriation of their land by the government for non-Indigenous veterans. Isn’t it shocking to hear that this happened not that long ago?

It was only in 1995 that Indigenous veterans were allowed to lay wreaths commemorating their fallen comrades at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. It took until 2003 for the government to provide veterans’ benefits to First Nations soldiers who had been denied them in the past, and it wasn’t until 2019 for Métis veterans. Honestly, that’s shocking, that Métis veterans still, up until 2019, were not recognized and did not receive the benefits and the acknowledgement and the praise and thanks that they deserve for having served in Canada’s Armed Forces.

I want to say that we heard from, really, so many people there, and I learned so much. We heard from Grand Chief Reg Niganobe, who talked about something that was very interesting. I have to confess to the House, and I’m sure the MPP for Durham—the minister—and I have shared our nerdy love of Canadian history, one of the things we have in common. I really think that it’s important to acknowledge—these acknowledge recent wars, but this history of Indigenous people serving their country can be traced back to the War of 1812. I mean, probably before that, but my readings so far have only taken me back to the War of 1812. Grand Chief Niganobe raised this issue that if you look at Indigenous or First Nations participation in the War of 1812, they served on both sides, and they were promised an Indigenous country, essentially. At the end of the war, at the Treaty of Ghent, they were betrayed by both sides, American and British forces.

We also know, particularly for folks from my area, that this was also during the time that the Haldimand Tract was proclaimed. Governor Haldimand proclaimed that—how many miles on either side of the Grand?—six miles on either side of the Grand should remain an Indigenous territory. We know that that has not happened, and I would say that it’s interesting.

Again, if you go into the hall leading up toward the north wing where the library is, on the wall, carved in marble, is Governor Haldimand’s name, he of the Haldimand Tract. I think, with irony, it’s hard to believe that his name is carved in marble but that promise disintegrated and does not exist today. If you are the least bit interested in this, I think that to really understand how we formed as a country and as a province, the lessons of the War of 1812 are important for all of us in this House.

I also want to talk about something that, time and time again, was raised by the deputants themselves. I would say that the cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers deputy commanding officer David Wright, unprompted, raised the issue that Junior Canadian Rangers were not acknowledged in this bill. I have had conversations with the member who is putting this bill forward, the member from Peterborough–Kawartha. It is my understanding that there will be a way to acknowledge the Junior Canadian Rangers. It’s not the case right now, so I will take him at his word that this is an omission that will be addressed. But I think this also gives me an opportunity to raise the issue of Junior Canadian Rangers.

Many people are not familiar, and I have to say I was not either until I had the opportunity to attend those long-day hearings. “Junior Canadian Rangers are part of the Canadian Cadet Organizations and are linked to the Canadian Rangers. This program aims to offer young Canadians, aged 12 to 18 ... in remote and isolated communities across Canada an opportunity to participate in a range of developmental activities in a formal setting. It also aims to engage them with their local communities.”

This is not an Indigenous program per se. But because of where the Junior Canadian Rangers operate, the vast majority of the youth who participate in this are Indigenous. So I think that there certainly needs to be a way that we bring recognition in this House to this group of youth.

I know that when we were there, during the course of committee, we heard from the commanding officer David Wright, as I said, who represents the cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers. He said right off the top, unprompted, that this needed to be included. We also had commanding officer Daniel Hutt who represented the Air Cadet League saying absolutely, in response to a question, he thought that this was an appropriate inclusion—the Junior Canadian Rangers—particularly given the fact that this bill honours an Indigenous veteran and that many of the Junior Canadian Rangers are Indigenous. And he said, again, not because it’s for Indigenous youth, but the fact is, where they operate, which is the Far North and remote parts of Ontario, that’s primarily Indigenous or First Nations territory, and that’s who the kids are that participate in that.

We also heard from Army Cadet League Captain Rick Brown. I had a long conversation with him about his work in making sure we had cadets week acknowledged in Ontario, because there’s also a cadets week that we acknowledge in Ontario. He said that, absolutely, the Junior Canadian Rangers should be included.

So, what I would like to do is take the opportunity to just share a little bit of the legacy and tradition of the Canadian Junior Rangers that operate in the Far North and remote communities in Ontario. I’m going to read from this lovely book that was lent to me by a wonderful woman named Athena. To begin with, I want to say that in this foreword, it says, “First Nations people feel very comfortable with the Canadian Rangers because their traditional survival skills in the harsh northern environment are acknowledged, respected and welcomed as an integral part of the Canadian Army training. The First Nations people in the Canadian Rangers feel appreciated and validated through their role as army trainers.”

There’s just a couple of examples that I want to read out from some folks who have served in the Canadian Rangers, and I’m going to start with—bear with me—the Muskrat Dam Canadian Ranger Patrol and a woman named Emily Beardy. Emily Beardy was part of the Canadian Rangers in her community, and I’m going to read a story that she shared: “Emily took part in a search-and-rescue operation. A man was travelling to the neighbouring community of Sachigo Lake, but he didn’t arrive on time. The season was spring. At this time of the year, melting snow and ice make travel dangerous in northern Ontario.

“The Canadian Rangers left Muskrat Dam at midnight by snowmobile to help their counterparts search for the missing traveller. Unfortunately, after travelling about half the distance, Muskrat Dam’s patrol had to turn around because they dared not cross the melting ice on the waters. But the Canadian Rangers from Sachigo Lake found the traveller and took him home safely to their community.”

I also want to share a story from Neskantaga Canadian Ranger patrol. This is Maggie Sakanee. She was one of eight children who grew up in this community. She lived in a trapline cabin that her father built in the bush approximately 20 kilometres east of Neskantaga. In 2003, Maggie joined the Canadian Rangers, and she recalled the time when she noticed the absence of an elderly Neskantaga man during the winter. She alerted her fellow Canadian Rangers, who set out to search for him. They found him safe 48 hours later, 20 to 30 kilometres east of their home. The man had started a fire to keep warm and had built himself a shelter.

“Maggie happily works with and educates the Junior Canadian Rangers in her community. She passes on her traditional Aboriginal knowledge about survival on the land. She believes that skills such as building an improvised shelter, shooting and cooking on an open fire are essential for everyone who ventures into northern Ontario’s harsh climate.”

I might be running out of time to read it, but I also very quickly want to talk about a woman, Ruth Morris, from Kingfisher Lake, who is part of the Canadian Ranger patrol. Ruth joined the Kingfisher Lake Canadian Ranger patrol in 2010. She initially took part in a 10-day training and, since then, she has learned how to use modern technology in search-and-rescue exercises. She has also learned mapping skills, safety in the bush and shooting at the range. She identifies strongly with the program and all that it stands for.

So that’s just a few of the many proud Indigenous community members that have served in the Canadian Rangers and who are mentoring and encouraging Junior Canadian Rangers in our Indigenous and northern communities.

I want to end by saying that Minister McCarthy, and perhaps the member, talked about this being a step towards reconciliation, and I accept that. I accept that we cannot right the wrongs of the past; that is not something that we can do here. But we can choose and we can right our future. That is possible for all of us. And while this is a step towards reconciliation, I would say it’s a small step. I would say it’s a small step considering the challenges that we are faced by, the kind of colonial system, by the colonial racism, as has been described by MPP Sol Mamakwa from Kiiwetinoong. I think that if we are looking towards real reconciliation, this is an important award, but, if we’re looking for real reconciliation, we need to show that we mean it.

Tomorrow is budget day. I hope to see in the budget a truly important and large investment—a significant investment—that will help address the kind of discrimination, the kind of two-tiered system, that Indigenous folks in this province live in.

I will end by saying I think this is an important bill, it’s an important acknowledgment of an Indigenous veteran. Hopefully this provides us an opportunity to begin to have a dialogue about the many ways in the past that we have mistreated and disrespected Indigenous folks, and hopefully this is an opportunity going forward, through this award, to continue to do better to collectively acknowledge that we have an obligation as treaty people, as humans, to see justice done in our Indigenous communities across the province.

Thank you for this bill. I appreciate it and hope to see much more from this government.