Speaker, if you seek it, you’ll find unanimous consent to allow members to wear pins in recognition of May 14 being the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies’ Children and Youth in Care Day.

I thank my honourable colleague for the question. Let me make it very clear: Our government will do whatever it takes to protect every single child and youth in our province. There is no room in our system for providers who refuse to provide high-quality care, full stop.

Our government didn’t need another report to tell us. We took action. We created 20 new inspector positions across the province. We increased the number of inspections across homes. We increased the number of unannounced inspections that were being done. We improved the quality of the child welfare data to establish a common standard for every children’s aid society across the province.

These actions have demonstrated that, once again, we will do whatever it takes to protect every child and youth in our province. It’s the moral and legal obligation of every provider to make sure they protect children and youth. We will hold them to account every single time.

On action, as I mentioned earlier, it was our government that said actions were not taken. Enough was not done to support the children and youth, which is why we had the consultations with Indigenous leadership. The Ontario Indigenous Children and Youth Strategy is co-developed by the Indigenous communities with the Indigenous leadership.

And we took action. As I mentioned to you, Mr. Speaker, we increased the number of inspectors across the province. We increased the number of unannounced inspections. We posted just this past summer that we are looking at increasing fines, all to make sure that those providers that are looking after our children and youth in this province know that they have a moral and legal obligation to look after them. We will hold them to account.

I thank the member for the question. Speaker, every single child, every single youth in this province deserves to have a chance at a life, to succeed and thrive in their communities, and we take the protection of every single child and every youth very seriously. That means making sure we provide them with the right supports and services, and protection throughout that state, and that means having the investments to protect youth in every corner in this province.

Speaker, if you look at the Ready, Set, Go Program, if you look at the program that we have set, we are providing supports for children and youth in care, as young as 13 years old, with the life skills to succeed in our communities at 15 and with financial support right up to their 23rd birthday. That is support that never existed, and that’s because we said from day one that we will never leave anyone behind in this province, Mr. Speaker, whether you’re in care or not.

I thank the member for the question. I want to make it very clear, we want every child and youth in this province to have a safe, loving, stable home regardless of their circumstances.

The member has probably not paid attention, but I’ve been travelling the province, meeting with families and service providers—and she knows; she’s aware of it because I know that they’re telling her. I know that they’re telling her.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve backed up the work by over $1.5 billion of investment. We have hired more inspectors on the ground to inspect the facilities. Those inspectors are going in unannounced this fall. So there’s not only more inspectors, there are more unannounced inspections that are being done.

We want to make sure that every youth, every child in this province is protected and supported so that they can continue to succeed and thrive in their communities. It’s a commitment we will never waver from.

Interjection.

That investment of $1.5 billion that I mentioned earlier: It’s important to note where it’s going. For the first time in the history of the province, we are making sure that children and youth succeed and thrive not only now but in the future. That’s why we started that support at the age of 13. We continued that support with financial supports up to the age of 23, so that the children and youth that age out of care can have—

I want to thank the wonderful and hard-working member from Oakville North–Burlington for the great question and the great work that she does for her riding.

Our government’s new Youth Leaving Care policy and program, Ready, Set, Go, is the most bold and innovative approach ever taken by any government to support youth leaving care. It is an evidence-informed investment in bright futures for youth. As heard on budget day, our government is investing $68 million with continuing funding. This investment will provide greater financial support so youth can find safe housing; a longer runway for youth until the age of 23; incentives for youth to participate in post-secondary, with an additional bursary of $500 a month; and future economic stability through employment savings of up to 40 hours per week without clawbacks.

Many of these youths have traumatic personal histories and disrupted family lives. That’s why they deserve a fair chance at adult life. And we’ll help them get there.

Through the Ready, Set, Go program, as early as age 13, we will prepare children by developing life skills, their unique cultures and identities, and relationships with peers and adults. By age 15, youth will be offered a conferencing option, including a mediator, if they choose, to plan for their futures. By 18, social workers will be accountable for ensuring youth have the basics, like identification, banking needs, professional supports, and communications technology. For example, ages 18 to 23, youth will be supported with pathways to post-secondary training, trades and employment. Now, to really ensure this program delivers on its promise to support these youth in building the lives they want and they deserve, we are also measuring its impact through its implementation. You can only change what you can measure.

Once again, we will not let these youth down.

Thanks to my honourable colleague for the very important question.

Mr. Speaker, youth may be a percentage of our population, but they’re 100% of our future.

That’s why, when it comes to the program that the member is referring to—if you just go back to 2018, when we formed government, out of the 31,500 children and youth who were registered, only 8,500 were actually receiving service. Fast-forward to today: Not only have we doubled the funding of the Ontario Autism Program, but 40,000 are now receiving funding.

The new programs that the families have access to have an expanded set of core services that include applied behavioural analysis, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and, for the first time, mental health services—not just one service, like they had.

But there’s still more work to do. That’s why the Premier entrusted me with this position, and I will do everything I can to make sure—

Mr. Speaker, once again, as I promised the member and every single family in this province, we’re continuously looking at ways to make sure that every child, every youth, every family is supported and we don’t leave anyone behind.

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Youth Without Shelter to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Joining us here today are board members, directors, staff, as well as some of the youth who are visiting us from the shelter: Emily Reign, Jacob Messam and Don Martins Obioha. Welcome to the House. I look forward to seeing you after question period.

I also see my chief of staff, Alexandra Hoene, and my manager of stakeholder relations, Shaida Maleki.