 for member statements. I recognize the member for Toronto St. Paul's. Good afternoon, Speaker. The holidays are a time for reflection. I ask the Conservative government to reflect on its actions this past six months, even if they were to reflect on the last 13 days, that would demonstrate some propensity towards a conscience. In these last days, Conservatives have stripped critical funds from our arts communities, Indigenous communities, schools, and our Ontario College of Midwives. Your government keeps letting my community down over and over again. Ontarians have spoken and you're not listening. Ontarians deserve better. What about their right to democracy? To fear an equitable consultation? Does Conservative power taste that good? These cuts are direct attacks against some of our most vulnerable. First peoples, black, racialized and Indigenous children and their families, artists who are often amongst the most precariously employed, low-income workers and women. What do the Conservatives have against these marginalized groups? People are not efficiencies, yet it appears these groups are always the first on the Conservative chopping block. You've taken pride in stomping on the rights of power workers before the strike has even begun. In essence, you've poisoned their collective bargaining and you've lied to Ontarians about your motives. Order. So first of all, I'll remind the member that she needs to make her comments through the chair. Secondly, she needs to withdraw her unparliamentary comment. Withdraw. I'm going to give the member another opportunity to withdraw her unparliamentary comment. Withdraw. Member's statements. The member for Kitchener South-Hesbler. This afternoon to tell you about a very special Christmas tradition in my writing at Kitchener South-Hesbler. For the last 24 years, the weekend after Christmas, we've had a hockey tournament called the Jason Cripps Memorial Christmas Hockey Tournament. Children from across the area come and take part and the possibility of a hydro shortage over the Christmas holidays not only would affect these children at home but also in their chance to take part in this tournament. Mr. Speaker. Stop the clock. We can do better than this. Restart the clock. Recognize again the member for Kitchener South-Hesbler. Thank you Mr. Speaker. So Jason was a triple-A hockey player in Kitchener that died tragically 30 years ago this past summer. It happened when his father's car was rear-ended by an impaired driver outside of their Kitchener home. Jason was the only one injured in this accident when luggage came through from the trunk and hit him in the head. He died two days later in hospital at just 14 years of age. Jason is not only remembered in my community as a great hockey player but as a respected one. He won the most sportsman-like award multiple times and was loved by everyone in our tight-knit hockey community. This tournament is not just an annual tradition for families but a reminder of just how precious life is and about the dangers of drinking and driving. In an article on the record from a few years ago the then president of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving local chapter, Jolene Knott, said the weekend is an amazingly positive thing to come out of a horrible tragedy. Mr. Speaker, I'm looking forward to taking part again in this tournament with my two daughters and again like I do every year I'll be talking to them about the dangers of impaired driving. Thank you. The member for Muskegawak James Bay. Thank you Mr. Speaker. On the adoption of the law. The motion of the 7th of April to the fund has announced the hiring of Hiring Drunk Cars and Mac Powers. The mission of these two lawyers is to analyze a possibility of a lawsuit against the constitutional government. Why you know it very well because you have eliminated the funding of the French speaking University and you transferred the coming January of the French language and it is you your government that we should blame for this linguist language crisis and for this potential of a lawsuit. It is to you that the Franconteers and the Francosons ask explanations and why are you jeopardizing our language our heritage and our culture. Can you look at the Francophones in the in the eyes and tell us that you prefer a lawsuit and or do you want to give us what we deserve. An article from from Radio Canada is saying that you're working on a new structure of the governance of the University. As Francophone we shall not give up this fight and we shall not allow this government to eliminate what it took us for years and years of fighting and as we say we are and we shall be. Thank you very much. The member for Berry Springwater. Thank you Mr. Speaker. This is the season of light. Recently I was grateful to be welcomed aboard a bus that took me and a group of seniors on a seniors light tour. This event funded by the Berry Hironia Rotary Club and the seniors wish foundation with volunteers like Barbara Richards. They welcome seniors from all the retirement homes in the community and others onto the buses and the Berry residents are asked to turn on the Christmas lights for the event. Seniors who might otherwise have been left out get to experience the magic of Christmas. There's Santa and there's singing of carols and cookies and the true spirit of Christmas really does feel all around. Well another beautiful seniors light tour has passed and reminded of the isolation seniors can face this time of year and the opportunity we have to bring seniors or others who may find holidays challenging just a little bit of light. I moved by the good residents of Berry Springwater or Medante who volunteer with the Berry Hironia Rotary Club and seniors wish foundation and the amazing seniors who reminded me that we reach an age where we see here and perceive things and sometimes wish differently. I will certainly be booking a spot in the bus again next year. These amazing constituents of mine inspired me to use what resources I have either through time or my voice here in this house to bring a little more light. I'm glad to be back in the house a week before Christmas not only because the house sitting truly delights my old family and friends. We need to make sure that the lights are on so we can develop internal chloropoecica but of course to ensure that the lights stay on for all Ontarians. Even when we don't agree which is occasionally the case even when the opposition slows us down which is currently the case on bill 67 I will look for the light and so close and so to close my friends let the be light and a merry Christmas. The statements to member for Brampton North. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Just over a week ago the federal lot of emotions in my community. My constituents from Brampton North and members of the Sikh community felt that they were unfairly blindsided by this report that labelled Sikhs in Canada as a current terrorist threat to Canada, without providing a single shred of evidence to back up that claim. I rise today in this House to unequivocally speak out against those public safety reports. First, it is unfair and widely irresponsible for the government to label and malign a whole community without any evidence and especially without considering the consequences of such a reckless decision. And you know what? This should concern all of us, Mr. Speaker, not just the Sikh community. This is not only about this report and just one community. This is about the protection of minorities and their civil rights. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, as a person of colour, I have first hand experience the negative consequences when a community is branded and labelled negatively. This creates fear and divide in our community and creates an atmosphere in which the protection of minorities and their civil liberties are threatened. That, Mr. Speaker, is unacceptable. Every Canadian deserves to feel safe and such irresponsible action by the federal government has real consequences on everyday lives of racialized communities in Canada. The federal government therefore must act now and remove any unsubstantiated claim in the report against either the Sikh community or any other community. Member Statements, the Member for Scarborough-Gildwood. Thank you, Speaker. I rise in this House today to stand in solidarity with artists and arts organization across this province, Speaker, who are experiencing cuts by the Ford government to their funding. The Ontario Arts Council has seen $5 million cut from its budget. The Indigenous Culture Fund has seen a $2.5 million cut from its budget. What this says is sends a clear message to the artist community that your funding is on the chopping block. The Indigenous Culture Fund was specifically put in place as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a fund that helps to fund grants and to support our Indigenous artists. And we've seen success in the first year. To see this funding cut is devastating. To see that this marks the third year of the TRC and the funding is cut at this time. As soon as I became the critic for tourism culture in sport, I met with artists and they expressed fear that their funding would be cut and they are experiencing that fear. It's become a reality. I don't know if the Premier believes this, but our artists are the heart of this province. With these recent cuts, we're saying to creators that what they're doing is not valued. The role of government should be to support our artists who rely on this funding, like what we did as the former Liberal government providing $14 million to the Ontario Music Fund that saw the creation of 1,800 jobs from this investment, including in my writing of Scarborough Guildwood, where artists like The Weeknd and Stefan James hail from. We must recognize and support Ontario's artists who create and tell the stories of this province. Thank you Speaker. Member statements. Mrs. Saga Malton. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My message is very simple and clear. Electricity is an essential part of our lives. Residents across Ontario need and deserve a reliable and uninterrupted power supply. We all agree. Yes. Especially over the winter months and not right now, that's at risk. Around 6,000 members of the Power Workers Union employed at OPG have threatened to go on strike. If the strike goes ahead, Ontario will not have a stable and safe power of supply. This fact has been confirmed by IESO. In case of strike, the people of Ontario could experience rolling blackouts over the holidays and throughout the winter. We have patients in home care units that will be affected. We have seniors in senior homes that could be unsafe for seniors to live in. We have families in northern Ontario without a safe power supply. They won't be able to heat their homes. OPG accounts for 51% of the power generated in Ontario and without PWU workers, these facilities cannot operate. And that's a grave situation. NDP says they'll do everything to stop our effort to pass this bill. Our government won't let that happen. We have called back the legislature to make sure people across Ontario have a reliable power supply. This is not about politics. It's about the safety and security of Ontarians. We hope my fellow friends, NDP, caught us, will join us in passing this legislation quickly, ensuring that everyone across Ontario have access to stable power. Member statements. The Member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. For almost 50 years, Parkdale Community Legal Services has been fighting the good fight against illegal evictions, against wage theft, against unjust denial of social service programs. Now, Parkdale Legal's landlord is attempting to evict them against the terms of the agreement that is in place. And Legal Aid Ontario, their main funder, has yet to agree to enter into a long-term lease in the community. The forces of corporate greed and displacement from gentrification is stronger than ever. The austerity regime against the poor continues. These forces have already been pushing out workers and tenants, and now to ramp things up, they're pushing out the very services the working class people rely on. They're cutting access and funding for the core services the working class people count on. Moving Parkdale Legal Clinic out of Parkdale is removing access to justice, a charter-protected right. We need Parkdale Legal to stay in Parkdale, because tenants can go to sleep better knowing that their community legal clinic is there for them, because workers can rest assured knowing every last dime of their hard-earned wages that were stolen will be fought back for. Because those who are in social assistance know that they have someone on their side fighting the system that is designed to deny them the basic services. Speaker, anyone who may think that the future of Parkdale Legal is uncertain doesn't know Parkdale and underestimates our fighting spirit. We are organised. We will resist. We're not going anywhere. We're here to stay. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for York Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, I'm proud to represent the Writing of York Centre. Located in the very northeast corner of my writing is a seniors building named 6250 Bathurst. Just like many other York Centre buildings, 6250 Bathurst houses low-income seniors. Many of them survived World War II, but struggled with the health and high cost of living in Ontario caused by the former Liberal government. Nonetheless, during this festive time of year, their spirits are high. Many of them meet almost daily in the social hall on the ground floor, be it for a Saturday synagogue, a Sunday luncheon, or the nightly chess game. Speaker, this vulnerable population sent me to Queen's Park to protect their health, safety and well-being. They're counting on me. They're counting on all of us to keep the lights and the electric heaters on. And I will sit here on Christmas Eve if I have to, and none of our government members are going anywhere until we pass this legislation to make sure that the lights and the heaters are on at 6250 Bathurst. The people sent us here and we will do what's right. Unlike the new darkness party, we will vote and pass Bill 67. And Speaker, in the time I have left, I'd like to wish all the members of the House and yourself a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Members' statements. The member for Simcoe North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the past two weekends, my team and I have been serving hot meals at the Aurelia Square Mall. As part of our fill-your-plate, we're centered on raising money for the Sharing Place Food Bank in Aurelia and combating food insecurity this holiday season. Next weekend is our last weekend to collect donations, and we are all very excited to do our part to help the community. But when we heard the potential power workers union strike, we weren't sure if we would be able to finish our community work. As part of our fundraiser, we rely on electricity to keep the meals hot and fresh. The local restaurants who are graciously donating their food to their fundraiser need power to prepare and cook the meals. And the businesses who are donating their space to us need electricity so they can continue to open and run their business. Not only am I proud to be part of a community where members across the riding come together to help out residents in need, but I'm also proud to be part of a government who is working hard for the people of Ontario and fighting to ensure that people across Ontario have a reliable source of power this holiday season. I look forward to finishing up the work we've been doing for our fill-your-plate fundraiser, and I want to take a moment to thank my tireless and dedicated volunteers for donating their time, as well as thank the restaurants and businesses for graciously donating their goods and services in order to help us work to end hunger in our community. I'm grateful to be a resident of Simcoe North, where we work together to look out for one another. And I'm proud to be part of a government that has taken swift and decisive action to keep the lights on for Ontario families, seniors and businesses. I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2019.