It is with great pleasure that I welcome to the House some students from St. Elizabeth Catholic School and their parents. They are part of VIFF, the Vaughan International Film Festival, and they’ve contributed to that. I’d like to present Paolo Calzini, filmmaker and student; Roberto Calzini, his father; Adrianne Calzini; and Annalisa Calzini, his sister.

I’d also like to introduce and congratulate Lauren Pappas, filmmaker and student, and Sandra Pappas, her mother. Welcome to the House.

I honestly really appreciate the member opposite for his question and his statement. This is a reality in my community, and my vision is no different from any other parent in my community. Of course, anti-Semitism is a very real reality that we need to talk about, and it’s not just specific to Thornhill; it’s Canada-wide, North America-wide, worldwide.

My vision is to have students who are prepared for the next generation of jobs, so STEM is an absolute necessity for the next generation. Science, learning math: We’ve had very poor numbers in math, and I say that as a person who sat in school council and watched the numbers, in a library filled with other parents who would watch things go through. Our vision is accountability for the future students of Ontario.

Parents and families expect accountability and transparency and responsiveness from their school boards, and they deserve access to publicly available and easy-to-understand—I’m going to underline “easy-to-understand”—information about how their school board is performing and how they are spending public funds to support student outcomes.

I want to thank the member opposite for her question. As a mother, we want to get value for our educational dollar. The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act advances vision for the education system that is centred upon preparing students.

When we talk about funding, this past Monday we announced a historic investment by providing $27.6 billion for public education for 2023-24. As I said in my presentation, this has grown every year. Our government has continued to make these historic investments every year in the face of stagnant enrolment. We’re continuing to put in, but we need to see the results.

My question would be, does the member of the opposition want to see value for dollars spent?

I want to thank the minister and parliamentary assistant for their dedication to the students of Ontario.

Every day, parents receive information about their child’s school—I personally just received one about three seconds ago, about my son’s school. We know about the permission slips, the class updates and the requests to take part in events. Yet one piece of information we don’t know about is how our child is performing at school.

The EQAO for 2021-22 assessment results showed weaker performance in the math scores across all grades and reading and writing in grade 3.

We know that this proposed legislation will include setting provincial educational priorities for boards.

How does requiring school boards to provide progress reports on provincial education priorities for students achieve support for student success?

Mr. Speaker, through you: Like nearly every jurisdiction globally, Ontario is experiencing a labour shortage across almost every sector. At the same time, there are young people in this province who cannot find a job. This is unacceptable.

The skilled trades require more individuals than ever to fill these prosperous and respected careers that will provide stability for those workers and their families. By 2026, it is expected that one in five job openings in this province will be in skilled-trades-related occupations.

Ontarians expect their government to continuously update initiatives and make investments for all students, ensuring they have the skills required to succeed in the modern world.

Can the Minister of Education please update this House on how our government provides the tools our youngest learners need to succeed?

To the Minister of Education: Will he please outline how many students will benefit from this program extension and how it will help and provide economic stability in a key sector of our economy?

This question is to the Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, families in Thornhill and across this province are anxious yet excited for the return to class. We know, as parents, that nothing else matters more. Many kids are gearing up, families buying school supplies and new routines are being created. This is happening in my own household right now.

When our kids go back, many will be behind. We see it as parents, teachers see it and I know this minister gets it. In short, what is the minister doing to help these kids, to ensure they get back on track as they return this September, right until June?

In addition to catching up in class, many families have safety and health in school top of mind. Speaker, the benefits of in-person learning are so clear to all of us, and yet with the backdrop of union escalation, it raises a concern with so many parents. The Premier and the Minister of Education have strongly advocated for a disruption-free return to school with the full school experience, one that includes extracurricular activities.

Will the minister outline his vision for September right till June? Tell us more about these protocols and supports in place for Ontario students and their families.