For Catholics, Protestants and many Christian denominations, this past weekend marked the start of Holy Week, beginning with the triumphal arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, called Palm Sunday. During this sacred and very solemn week many profound liturgical events came to pass: the Last Supper, the betrayal and baseless arrest of Jesus and his terrible crucifixion. But at the end comes the most significant day for all Christians: the resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated on Easter Sunday. I wish all those here and everywhere commemorating this special time a very blessed week and a happy Easter on Sunday.

For the majority of Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar, Easter falls on May 5 of this year. Last week, the members of this House unanimously supported the second reading of my bill entitled Orthodox Christian Week. If passed, this special week would formally commence in Ontario every Orthodox Easter Sunday and would recognize the presence, contributions and history of Orthodox Christians in our great province. On behalf of Orthodox Christians in Ontario, I deeply thank you all.

It is my hope that we can continue this strong spirit of collaboration so that the bill will pass third reading and receive royal assent, bringing Orthodox Christian Week to life in Ontario.

I would like to take the opportunity to wish all Christians who celebrate Good Friday and Easter a happy Easter.

Speaker, a number of diverse businesses in Mississauga are flourishing, and new ones continue to open shop. They are choosing Ontario as the home for their businesses because we have created conditions for prosperity and growth that haven’t been seen in a long time.

In just a few weeks alone, I have attended multiple grand openings, including two Pakistani restaurants on Ridgeway Drive: Lahore Chatkhara and Lahori Flame. We were also at the opening of a new Tahini’s shawarma on Glen Erin; they started in London, Ontario, and now they have 30 locations. And I visited a few international and ethnic grocery stores, including Hyperama South African shop and Apna Farm South Asian market.

Speaker, these are just limited examples of recent grand openings in Mississauga. People come from all around to visit new businesses, restaurants and stores in Mississauga–Erin Mills because in Mississauga, we have diverse and prosperous local businesses sharing all cultures. You can see, smell and taste every culture from every nation and ethnicity.

Trust me: If you want to explore ethnic food, international cuisine and multicultural businesses, there is no better place in Canada than Erin Mills, and the grand openings aren’t ending any time soon.

Mississauga is growing, commerce is thriving and Ontario remains open for business.