 It is now time for Member Statements. Member for Sault Ste. Marie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot of my colleagues here know that I'm involved in soccer coaching with my three young boys. Last time I stood and delivered a Member Statement where I spoke about a soccer tournament. It ended in a bit of heartache, Mr. Speaker, but today's is not the case. Today is quite a great story. We are a 2012 Sucedi Junior United boys team. I was able to split into two separate soccer teams. We brought our two teams to Petoskey this last weekend. I have some sun still remaining from that. Brought our two teams to Petoskey's spring coast classic. 16 total teams in this age group, Mr. Speaker. 16 total teams. Our boys in their respective divisions went 3-0, won their semi-final games, met in the finals playing Sucedi and Marie versus Sucedi and Marie. And guess what? Sucedi and Marie won. So it was a great day. It was a great day and I'm so proud of all of our boys. The amount of work that they put into the sport, the amount of time and effort, and obviously the parents as well, all the work they put in. Third time that I've been able to go to a soccer tournament with my own sons. I remember doing it as a youngster, as a kid, and sometimes we say as parents, you live so much more vicariously through your children's eyes. And Mr. Speaker, I can say that it's absolutely the case. It was an absolute pleasure to watch, although my son is a lot more competitive than I ever was. So those are my words, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member of the Statements, the Member for London North Centre. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart. Tomorrow is the two-year anniversary of a vile act of Islamophobia, a cowardly act of hatred which stole the lives of the Afzal family. Talat, Madiha, Salman, and Youmna. For a family walk, they were targeted for the way they appeared, whether they're ethnicity or their attire. It was a despicable act by a weak person. We must not simply ask ourselves how could this happen, but also do what must be done to make sure this never happens again. White supremacy gathers many targets. Over the last few years, xenophobia, anti-black racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and transphobia have increased to levels before unseen. No matter where you come from, how you worship, how you appear, your background, your abilities, your age, your gender, or whom you love, everyone deserves to have a safe home, community, and be the person you were meant to be. When someone cuts us, do we not bleed the same? When we love another, do we not feel the same joy? Suffering loss, do we not all feel sorrow, remorse, guilt, or regret? And when we smile and laugh, do we not feel the same lightness of spirit? Rather than building fences or focusing on what divides us, let us instead find our common humanity and recognize that we are one family sharing this Earth, and commit to share this Earth with fairness, justice, and respect. Let's all remain quiet and listen to others with an open heart. Remember to make space, elevate voices, bring others forward, and share privilege. Love will conquer hate, and it's up to us all. Thank you very much. Members' statements? The Member for Mississauga, Aaron Mills. One year ago, I was honored to be re-elected as a member of the provincial parliament from Mississauga, Aaron Mills. Mr. Speaker, we have been working hard to fulfill our promises to build a stronger, more prosperous Ontario for the people. In Mississauga, we are committed to building highways and transit projects. In December, we saw the Highway 401 expansion open. Work on the Hazel McKelley and LRT is well underway. And Mississauga received 19.6 million in transit funding. Investments continue to pour into healthcare. We are clearing the backlog on surgeries, building a new Mississauga hospital. And the last year, the government gave 4.2 million to Trillium Health Partners for upgrades and repairs. We are also building a long-term care homes, including a new centre for aging and longevity at Ivan Franco Homes. And 128 bids, a new facility by the Church of San Virgin Mary, Coptic Church. Additionally, I was proud to announce last month, alongside the Minister of Labour, that the professional engineers of Ontario are the first regulated body to remove Canadian experience requirements. And over 30 more industries will be doing the same promise made, promise kept. We are going to continue to be there for Ontarians. Keeping our commitment to build more housing, support families, create jobs and keep province open for business. Mr. Speaker, we are getting it done for the people of Ontario. Excellent statement. Member Statements. The Member for Kuwait and Aung. Mr. Speaker, June is the National Indigenous History Month. This month honours the contributions of Indigenous people to Canada and also Ontario. Our rich history, they say. It's a month that encourages people to have events that people can learn from. Indigenous people have many stories that need to be told and heard by Canadians. I hope that people take the time to attend events in your areas and to listen with an open heart about the real history of Canada, the genocide, the loss of our ways of life, the loss of our languages, our children and our lands. Canada and Ontario has had many opportunities and lots of time to make changes in their relationship with the Indigenous people. But most of the time governments don't make the time to find the political will to create positive change. The political will comes from the people. So once you acknowledge the Indigenous History Month, take another step and ask yourself what you can do to move forward from just having this month and use your voices to make change. Our actions cannot be performative and we cannot be the ones always reconciled. You have to do your part. Real change is about action, not words. Miigwech. Member Statements, the Member for Cambridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to introduce to you a new attraction in my riding that is a talk of the town and is attracting visitors from far and wide. The Gaslight District, established by hip developments, is located in historical downtown Galt. It's a mixture of residential commercial properties, retail shops, the arts and dining. With a focus on community and culture, it features a one acre public square with a permanent stage, a large outdoor video screen that offers year round free community events. The Gaslight District will host its official grand opening from July 28th to the 30th. The three day event will feature a multitude of musical acts, artisans and the best part will be a flyover, so I'm told, and a whole lot of free fun for families. With thousands of people expected to attend, it promises to be a celebration that Cambridge residents will remember for years to come. Located on the former Tiger brand property on Grand Ave, the Gaslight District is a thriving hub in a revitalized urban core, graced with the same vintage details as its former day. The Gaslight District is the place to be in Cambridge and is a destination that I am very proud of. I encourage you to stop by and discover all it has to offer. The next Member Statement, the Member for Ottawa, West Napien. Thank you, Speaker. Ottawa is experiencing record levels of food insecurity. The Ottawa Food Bank had the highest number of food bank visits in their entire 38 year history last year, with 403,467 visits. That's a 40% increase compared to 2017. And unfortunately things are getting worse, not better. The Caldwell Family Centre Food Bank in my riding of Ottawa, West Napien served 53% more families in April 2023 than they did in April 2022. I'm hearing this from all of the food banks in my riding speaker. The demand is so high right now and the capacity to meet it is being seriously strange. We need this government to treat the affordability crisis like the urgent situation that it is and take swift action to address rising levels of hunger and poverty in our communities. That means doubling ODSP and Ontario Works so that people on social assistance can actually buy food and pay for rent. It means increasing minimum wage so that food banks can stop extending their hours into the evening and weekends for people who are working full time. And it means bringing back real rent control so that rent isn't taking up 80% or more of people's paychecks. The wealthy lobbyists and developers that this government listens to might be doing fine, but in our communities people can't even put food on the table. Enough is enough, Speaker. It is time for action. Thank you very much, Member Statements. Member for Simple Grave. Thank you, Speaker. It's my pleasure this morning to recognize the hard work and dedication our teachers and support staff provide to the students of my riding of Simple Grave. Recently I've toured many elementary and secondary schools in my riding and I visited two in Simkel County District School Board schools in Clearview Township on a Take Your MPP to School Day. My first stop was Stainer Collegiate where Principal Kimberly Hand took me on a school tour. Speaker, Stainer Collegiate is one of only two great 7 to 12 schools in Simkel County. They have a very active and robust student body and have achieved many milestones over the past year. I was joined by the Board Trustee Brandy Rafique and Board Superintendent Greg Jacobs. We then visited Clearview Meadows Elementary School where we met Principal Lisa Saunders and Vice Principal Amanda Harrison. Speaker of Special Note, I'd like to recognize Stainer Collegiate's skilled trades program. This program prepares students for much needed jobs and for some careers in the trades. And as you know, this is an agenda that this government has been working very hard on and it was wonderful to see it taking form at Stainer Collegiate. It combines computer training on AutoCAD and hands-on woodworking training in well-equipped studio shop. In addition, Stainer Collegiate operates an extensive co-op program for students with valuable first-hand on-site work experience and establishing important contacts with tradespeople throughout Clearview. Speaker, I again recognize the commitment to excellence of the Simkel County District School Board and want to congratulate the teachers and staff for their excellent work. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Ottawa, Vanya. Thank you, Speaker. I would like to take this time to congratulate the Ottawa River Keeper Organization for their recent gala which raised over $340,000. The Ottawa River forms the boundary of the riding of Ottawa, Vanya. It is the lifeblood of the city where we get our drinking water where we fish, swim, boat, play and cool off. The river also connects us to the Indigenous people who have lived along, fished in and traveled on the Ottawa River for millennia. The name Ottawa itself derives from the Algonquin word, a doway, meaning to trade. The gala paid special tribute to Algonquin elder, Claudette Commanda, who thanked the organization for being collaborative and for respecting the Algonquin people and their heritage. Through many years of careless custodian and lax environmental laws, the river has fallen into a polluted state. I recognize and appreciate the work done by the Ottawa River River Keeper whose goal is to ensure a healthy Ottawa River watershed for everyone. For over 20 years, the River Keeper Organization has been monitoring the health and the levels of pollution in the water and engaging and educating our youth to become the next generation of rivers to earth. These efforts all take a network of volunteers, compassionate staff and substantial donations to keep doing this work on behalf of our city's residents. I congratulate River Keeper Lora Rainsboro and her team board, Chair Jof Green and the organizing committee of the River Keeper gala for their tireless work and success. Thank you. Thank you very much. Order. Order. The next member's statement, the member for Oakville North, Britain. Last Friday marked the anniversary of our government being given a second mandate by the people of Ontario. In 2018, we promised we would work for the people. In 2022, we promised that we would get it done. Speaker, I can proudly say that we are delivering on both promises. We are getting it done for the people of Ontario. I am so proud of what we have accomplished. In my own community of Oakville North, Burlington, investments include five new schools in four years with an investment of $142 million for 4,403 student spaces and 352 childcare spaces. A total of 1,153 new and redeveloped long-term care beds for seniors with four hours of direct care each day. 138 million more in base funding for Halton Health Care and 69 million for Joseph Brandt Hospital. 295 million of a total of 1.8 billion investments so that Ford Canada can become an electric vehicle hub in North America, creating 3,000 new good-paying jobs. The government under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford has made significant and positive changes in the lives of people across the province. We have made life more affordable for families, seniors and small businesses. I look forward to continuing to serve my community of Oakville North, Burlington, and thank you for the trust you have given me. Thank you very much, Member Statements and Member for Whitby. Thank you, Speaker. I am pleased to share with you that Christine Elliott, the former Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, will be presented with an honorary degree from Trent University at the 2023 Convocation on June 16th. Leo Groark, the President and Vice Chancellor of Trent University, had this to say. The individuals receiving these honorary degrees exemplify the spirit of challenging the way we think to make a difference in our communities, our province, across the country and around the world. Speaker, former Interior Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott will receive an honorary Doctorate of Laws, a recognition of her service to Ontario as Minister of Health from 2018 to 2022, during which she oversaw the province's response to COVID-19 epidemic, as well as her advocacy and volunteerism for vulnerable community members in the region of Durham. For example, Speaker of the Ability Centre with she and her late husband, the Honourable James Michael Flaherty, established and Grandview Children's Treatment Centre now situated in the Riding of Age Act. Congratulations, Christine. Thank you very much. That concludes our Member's statements for this morning.