I know he’s watching today because it is his 55th birthday. I want to wish a happy birthday to my brother Jeff Smith.

Ms. Bell moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 83, An Act to amend the Environmental Protection Act with respect to microfibre filters for washing machines / Projet de loi 83, Loi modifiant la Loi sur la protection de l’environnement en ce qui concerne les filtres à microfibres pour machines à laver.

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for a period of time; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their community; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous veterans’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

I fully endorse this petition. I will sign it and give it to page Ryan.

Next week, the Legislature will not be sitting while we observe Remembrance Day week. As we reflect on Remembrance Day, I’d like to speak about a group that has largely been forgotten.

Although First Nation individuals were exempt from conscription, between the First and Second World War, more than 7,000 First Nation individuals voluntarily joined the Canadian Forces to fight for our freedom. At the time, if someone lived off-reserve for more than four years, that person could lose their official Indian status. For many individuals, stationed overseas, fighting for Canada, Canada stripped them of their Indian status, yet many of those individuals continued to give back to their community when they returned to Canada.

Curve Lake First Nation in my riding demonstrated this. During the Second World War, every single eligible male over the age of 18 volunteered to fight for Canada. One of those volunteers was a gentleman named Murray Whetung. Mr. Whetung is someone that I’ve spoken about in this chamber a number of times. His role during the D-Day invasions was to keep the communication lines functioning.

When he returned to Curve Lake, he continued to give back to his community. He was known throughout Peterborough county and revered as an elder, a knowledge holder and a community volunteer. Later today, I will be reintroducing the Murray Whetung Community Service Award to ensure that the positive message he embodied about giving back to communities will be told to our youth.