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Joel Harden

  • MPP
  • Member of Provincial Parliament
  • Ottawa Centre
  • New Democratic Party of Ontario
  • Ontario
  • 109 Catherine St. Ottawa, ON K2P 0P4 JHarden-CO@ndp.on.ca
  • tel: 613-722-6414
  • fax: 613-722-6703
  • JHarden-QP@ndp.on.ca

  • Government Page

I want to thank the member for Kiiwetinoong for that 20 minutes. It’s always informative listening to you.

I just want to maybe, in the opportunity to respond to this question—if you could elaborate for the House some good practices in post-secondary education you’ve seen.

When I was, for a brief time—for nine months—a professor at Nipissing University, in the sociology department, they had a very active outreach program to recruit Indigenous students. But the Union of Ontario Indians, which was an organization—a queer organization—in the area, had an active role in shaping that outreach strategy, had an active role in thinking about the wellness services that would be available on campus.

Something, I think, that is often lost when we talk about students as facts and figures—some of the sad statistics you were talking about and how people are suffering—is that we need to be led by community and guided by community in post-secondary institutions.

Can you elaborate on any examples you’re familiar with to help the government improve the bill?

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  • Nov/22/23 10:00:00 a.m.
  • Re: Bill 149 

I was listening closely to the member from Newmarket–Aurora.

Something that I want to comment on, as the transit critic for the province reflecting on this piece of legislation: While I think it’s great the government wants to do efforts—there are many sequels to this effort, four—I would like to see a commitment to workers in this province spread across all the legislation of this government.

I’m thinking, in particular, of a bus driver in Hamilton whose name is Cassie Theaker. ATU 107 just got a tentative agreement, but they had to fight and struggle in that city. Cassie told the crowd on a picket line that she can no longer feed her kids, pay the rent and drive a bus in the city of Hamilton. If this government, in this legislation—if it was connected to operational transit funding, Cassie could feed her kids.

My question is, what is the member’s message to Cassie? Today is she going to call for what transit authorities are calling for: the government investing $500 million in transit to make—

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