The member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan has been relentless in his advocacy for this initiative, and I’m happy to say that we are bringing vet education to your riding.

Speaker, I am always excited to stand up and talk about the important work that my ministry is doing to address the most pressing needs and support economic growth across this province. Budget 2023 has a ton of great investments for the post-secondary sector, such as 100 new undergraduate medical seats and funding to support their clinical education.

But our universities don’t just educate the human doctors of the future; we also train the amazing pet and farm animal doctors our province desperately needs. I’m thrilled to say that as part of budget 2023, our government announced funding for a new and long-awaited doctor of veterinary medicine program collaboration between Lakehead University and the University of Guelph. This joint veterinary program, which will focus on integration of human, animal and environmental health, will address the shortage of veterinarians in the province by creating an additional 80 new spots for students.

Veterinary medicine contributes well over a billion dollars per year to Ontario’s economy and supports over 7,000 jobs—that’s right, Speaker: 7,000 jobs. Through the addition of this program we will support the veterinary medicine sector across the province, while supporting the local economy in the communities across Ontario. This also gives students greater choice in where to study, helps develop a skilled workforce and will support the health of animals everywhere.

Ontario benefits when Ontario’s post-secondary institutions give students the skills they need to enter the workforce, ready to take on the jobs of today and tomorrow. As always, through hard work and a focused approach, we get it done for the people of Ontario and animal lovers everywhere.