 Alright, it's now time for Member Statements, the member from the PNC Parliament. Thank you very much, Speaker. Tomorrow is the United Nations Day of the Child. I've often advocated in this assembly for greater children's safety and protective rights. In fact, it was the focus of my first private members bill almost nine years ago. It would have, among other things, strengthened child protection legislation and enshrined into law a children's day in Ontario that would have been acknowledged today in this assembly. Over the years, I have marveled at those who have devoted their life to the protection and defence of children, like the late Les Horn and Agnes Sandler of the Defence of Children International or Erwin Elman, our independent child advocate. I'm even more in awe of parents who have lost their children, yet have given Ontarians the gift of child advocacy after their son or daughter has passed on. Alan Hubly and his wife Wendy, Sherri and Pat Layton, Kathleen and Gord Stringer are all parents from my constituency who've joined me at Queen's Park to make a difference for our children after tragedies have taken the life of their child. Recently, I've come to know Gabe and Stephanie Batstone, father and stepmother, to a beautiful girl named Teagan. Blonde, blue-eyed and eight years old, Teagan's mother ended her life. There were many warning signs that could have prevented this heinous and unspeakable crime and Gabe told me that the most significant included a lack of coordinated effort, a lack of in-depth expert analysis, opinion evidence in the form of untested affidavits and a focus on the parents' rights instead of the rights of the child. So he and Stephanie started Teagan's Voice to advocate for legislative changes to protect other children from the same tragic fate of Teagan. And it is that sentiment I dedicate tomorrow's UN Day of the Child to sweet little Teagan Batstone and the Child Protection Organization that bears her name. I encourage members of this Assembly and parents across Ontario to check out teagansvoice.com to learn how they can make child protection and safety in this province a priority. Thank you very much. Thank you. Member Stamets, the member from Essex. Thank you, Speaker. It is my honour to once again rise in this legislature and to recognize something special in my writing of Essex. The Windsor Essex United Way in partnership with the Labour Movement has worked tirelessly on community programming and fighting poverty. They provide funding and tremendous leadership in our region and I thank them for all that they do. Each year the United Way awards a local activist a Labour Appreciation Awards dinner with the Charles E. Brooks Labour Community Service Award. This will be the 38th year of this award. In 2015 marks what would have been Charlie Brooks' 100th birthday. This year's recipient is Teresa Farrow. Teresa is an activist, a mentor, a feminist. Through her dedication, leadership and compassion, Teresa has made a positive impact on her community and the members of her union. Teresa is the president of Unifor Local 240 and her volunteer history includes multiple fundraising activities on behalf of the Polar Dip for Child Can, Heart and Stroke, Coats for Kids, Easter Seals, House of Sophocene, Hyatus House, Welcome Centre and the Walk for Breast Cancer. Teresa has a passion for fairness. She has been a champion for pay equity in her workplace and her union for years. Teresa was successful in getting a recommendation passed at the CAW Council and again at Unifor Ontario Council making pay equity a priority. Teresa's passion for fairness has caused her to fight against harassment, bullying and discrimination in her workplaces. At the same time, she understands the importance of building and working relationships. Congratulations Teresa on your nomination and your award of the Charles E. Brooks Award. Your contribution has indeed made our community a fairer, more just place to live. Thank you so much. Thank you for the statements, the member from the Thumberland Committee. Well, thank you, Speaker. Speaker, like many others, I was deeply troubled to learn of the horrific terrorist attack in the days leading up to and including events in Paris on November 13th. This past Saturday evening, the region's only mosque in my neighbouring writing of Peterborough suffered a fire. It is believed this fire was deliberately set in what I can only imagine was a hateful response by select few do not stand for the inclusion, peace and diversity of our country. Mr. Speaker, the member from Peterborough has spoken against this by saying, the fire set at the Quartha Muslim Religious Association, Mesjid al-Salaam mosque is a despicable act and hate that cannot be condoned in our community. It goes on to say this behaviour is in no way represents our community as a whole. Peterborough has always been and will continue to be a very diverse and inclusive region. In spite of the incident, the Quartha Muslim Association has said we are deeply touched and highly encouraged by the overwhelming support we have received from the community at large. We continue to work with all faith groups and concerned citizens raising awareness of peace and tolerance. Mr. Speaker, as an immigrant myself, I hope I will never really understand the fear and turmoil that refugees are suffering from this. I have a profound appreciation for the opportunities to prosper, grow and raise my family here. Mr. Speaker, I echo the Premier's words that we must continue to strive for and pray for peace in our communities and through the world. We must guard against the racist and blame in generations that can lead to racism and hatred. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On November 11th, as people across our communities, the province and country gathered at cenotaphs and rural Canadian Legion halls to pay tribute to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for peace, freedom and democracy, we were reminded of just how proud we are to live and call Canada our home. We truly enjoy and arm forces and veterans who are the envy of the rest of the world. On October 4th, I attended a very special event in my writing of Bruce Gray's Own Sound. It was a rededication of the community cenotaph, built in 1924 in the village of Tara. I was proud to be in good company, Mr. Speaker. Nancy DeVries, Tom and Mabel Ruff of Tara, whose son Alex Ruff is a distinguished officer in our armed forces, having served a number of missions overseas. Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel to the regiment, Ivan Fenton, CFB Meeford Major Chris Beattie, Tara Legion members, Chesley High School teachers, Rick Swigger and Don Matheson, and their students, along with a large turnout of residents, donors and businesses of the surrounding community. The students, who had been to Vimy Ridge, Dieppe, Juno Beach, Ortona and Holland, made this ceremony a memorable one for the entire community. In recognition of Canada's involvement in the liberation of Holland, a supply of 770 tulips had been provided by the Dutch government and will be planted by students to commemorate the 70th anniversary of our role in ending the Second World War. It will be a magnificent display in the spring and one that again will fill our hearts with pride and honor in respect of the valor shown by our brave men and women and their esteemed colleagues, the veteran in whose debt we shall forever be. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a very fitting way to recognize and honor our brave sons and daughters who have in the past and continue to serve and protect. A big thank you to the great Canadian community of Tara and to our troops whom we continue to support, value and thank for their service and commitment, not just on Remembrance Day, but every day. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I just first of all want to thank every member of this House who was part of the historic moment that happened. I know it was quickly eclipsed by the drama of question period, but really today the largest jurisdiction in North America for the first time ever recognized the Trans-Day of Remembrance. So thank you to everyone for that. I'm going to use my member's statement just to tell us why we did that. One in five transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Transphobia experienced by 98% of trans of the trans population. By the way these are all from Transpulse, this wonderful study. 77% of trans respondents in an Ontario based survey had seriously considered suicide. 43% had attempted suicide. Almost 50% of trans folk live in poverty below the poverty line in Ontario. One in five trans Ontarians have been the targets of physical or sexual assaults and one in five are unemployed. You know the inspiration for Toby's act which again was an all-party movement to add gender identity and gender expression to the Ontario Human Rights Code was inspired by the death of our music director at our church, Toby Dancer. The legislators here on behalf of all trans folk and anyone really Mr. Speaker cares about civil rights and human justice I just want to say on behalf of trans folk and their allies thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker each year on November 11th Polish people and Polish Canadians celebrate the national independence day of their home life. Many of my constituents in Misaka, Brampton South were part of those celebrations and I was fortunate to join some of them at St. Maximilian on November 9th in my writing. While on November 11th the world celebrates Remembrance Day. I learned more about the struggle of the Polish people as they emerged from partition by foreign powers and later communism and democratic society. Freedom from tyranny and war is something that people in our own society may appreciate but perhaps we do not know enough about the sacrifices made by others to make that freedom possible and while Mr. Speaker November 11th may be solemn for Polish people it is also a celebration of their culture and their independence. I wish to offer my congratulations to constituents of Polish descent in my writing of Misaka, Brampton South and to the Polish all around the world on this important day. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Last week I was pleased to be joined by my colleague the member from York Simcoe and together we went across the writing discussions on small business and these roundtables focused on the growing concerns of local businesses and the steps the province should take to help them out and in our discussions the rising cost of electricity to no one's surprise was a recurring theme and for one local economic development officer it was a concern that she heard from small businesses time and again. She shared specifically a story of a local business owner who was forced to close their storefront because the heating was just too expensive and without a doubt business suffers from electricity rates that are among the highest in North America. Another major concern that was expressed and brought forward was excessive red tape. Small businesses such as the family run store and operation have neither the time nor the resources to jump through endless hoops and we heard first-hand examples of this. Speaker I was very disappointed to hear of one particular business who waited 14 months for his application to be processed by the Ministry of Environment to change. For these businesses every minute spent filling out paperwork is one diverted from doing what is needed to live, work and raise a family. There were also concerns expressed in subsequent discussions regarding the increase in minimum wage, lack of skilled trades, ORPP and the need to foster innovation. And here in Bruce speaker small business is truly big business. It is the heart of our communities, our culture and our local economy and we should be cultivating a culture of opportunity. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take a moment today to thank my community office staff for their hard work and dedication to their jobs. Braymouth, Hillary and Elia work tirelessly to help people in our community and do their best to ensure that every person who contacts our office receives the support they need. Mr. Speaker I'd like to read a thank you message written by a woman who recently came to our office for assistance. Last week I arrived to the office to thank you. Thank you very much for your help. Your team responded in the most courageous way. My friend is dying and I was in distress. Everyone was kind and sensitive to my needs. I kept saying I want you to fix this problem. They gave me what I needed someone who would listen. We are so grateful for all of their support. This is only one example of the caring work that Raymouth, Hillary and Elia perform on a daily basis and I thank them for it. I want to thank the staff and officers throughout the province that the care I have just described happens every day. Our staff welcome people to our offices when we can't. They hold a genuine interest in helping the people that they serve. Mr. Speaker they are the backbone back home in our riders. Their words and actions help make our communities better places to live and I want to thank not just my staff but the staff and officers. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to rise in the house to speak about the Albanian community association in my riding of York Southwestern. Immigration to Canada began in the early 20th century and today there are over 28,000 Albanian Canadians in Ontario. This community has made and continues to make important contributions to the growth and prosperity of the province of Ontario. This is a significant month for the Albanian community. Each year people of Albanian origin celebrate the Albanian declaration of independence which declared Albania an independent sovereign nation on November 28 1912. That is why Mr. Speaker I will be introducing later a bill to declare November is Albanian heritage month in Ontario. Albania also commemorates liberation day which is the beginning of the process after the Albanian resistance on November 29 1944. The Albanian Canadian community association has supported the community for 25 years since November 4, 1990. The association commemorates the history and celebrates the rich traditions of Albanian heritage and should be proud of the work that they do. Mr. Speaker I would like to thank Dr. Ruki Kondai in terms of her work and dedication to the Albanian Canadian community through her work as honorary president of the association. I believe it is important to remember our heritage and I feel an affinity to this community not only because of my last name but also because of similarities with my own heritage. Congratulations to all Canadians of Albanian heritage. Thank you. Thank all members for their