We’re protecting our Great Lakes for our next generation, like the many great students who are here today, so that they can have cleaner bodies of water to enjoy for generations to come.

I took some notes which I’d like to share. While at this announcement, I met with Brandon Doxtator. He’s a councillor from Oneida Nation and the community’s environmental consultation coordinator. He told us that the impact of this funding is going to go toward funding 13 Moons Land-Based Learning camp, a weekly four-day camp for Oneida youth to learn wilderness skills and cultural language and practice.

Speaker, part of my role in this Legislature and one of the things that I love in this job is that I get to learn every day. I can’t wait to go out and meet with Oneida youth to learn about the important work that they’re doing, thanks to investments that this Premier is making to grow a more prosperous Ontario—homes for everyone; critical infrastructure, including water and waste water infrastructure, we need; working in partnership with Indigenous communities.

I can’t wait to join Brandon and Oneida Nation this summer.

All of this has been validated to show that Ontario’s greenhouse gas reduction is leading the nation. We’re on track to meet our 2030 goals. And we’ll continue doing that, working in partnership with all Ontarians.

Thank you to the member for Windsor–Tecumseh for that question. I know he, like I, very much values our Great Lakes, enjoys the tourism and economic opportunity—the important work we have to do, as stewards of the Great Lakes, to protect our water.

I was proud, just last week, to co-chair the Great Lakes Guardians’ Council with a man I have great respect for, Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe. He has been such a strong leader for Anishinabek Nation. He and I had the opportunity to chair it. We heard powerful stories from Indigenous youth; from Ducks Unlimited, a group we funded at great length to support our Great Lakes.

It was prior to that event that I announced, on behalf of the government of Ontario, under Premier Ford’s leadership, over $1 million to support Indigenous-led projects to conserve and protect our Great Lakes. I can’t wait to get out to the Thames River to meet with Indigenous youth to see first-hand the work they’re doing, thanks to this funding from the government of Ontario.