 It's now time for our member's statements, I believe, the member for Toronto Centre. Thank you, Speaker. I rise in this House today to recognize today as the trans day of remembrance across Ontario. Just moments ago, I had the honour of joining with the Toronto Trans Alliance to raise the trans flag here at the Legislature. In Ontario, 47% of youth, half, Speaker, half of the trans youth in this province have seriously considered suicide in the past year. Meanwhile, we have a Conservative Government who has turned back the clock on a modern sex ed curriculum and removed any reference to gender identity or expression or consent from that curriculum. While trans students face disproportionate amounts of violence in our schools, they now don't even have a curriculum to turn to that affirms their identities and teaches their peers to treat them with respect and with humanity. Speaker, today is a day that calls on all of us to not just reflect on the harm that has been done to the trans community, but to be better allies and to take action to support the trans community to heal and to thrive. We need actual, concrete action from this Government, and that includes a modernized sex ed curriculum that affirms the identities of trans students and the complete and unequivocal denunciation by the Premier of a motion passed by the Conservative Party of Ontario undermining and denying the existence of trans people. My Conservative colleagues should be ashamed of the party they represent. Thank you. Member Statements. Member for Cambridge. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Today marks National Child Day, a day to celebrate our children and to recommit ourselves to protecting them. We mark this day in Canada in recognition of our country's commitment and obligation to uphold the rights of children. It's a day to celebrate the family and think about how adults affect the development of children close to them. Children have the same basic rights and freedoms that we all enjoy. Among others, a right to life, liberty and security of person, rights belonging to them regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion or any other quality. Rights belonging to them because, as the inimitable Dr. Seuss puts it, a person's a person no matter how small. Unlike us, children cannot defend their rights, cannot give voice to their desires. That is why, in the words of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection before as well as after birth. This is what we are celebrating today. We are recommitting ourselves to the protection of some of the most vulnerable members of our society, therefore always striving to protect our children, supporting their parents and enabling them to raise their children. Let us never be deaf to those whose voices we cannot hear. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for London West. Recently I received an email from Dan Howard, principal at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School in London West. He told me that this September St. Thomas Aquinas and its six elementary feeder schools partnered on a parent engagement event to build resiliency in children, a high priority for all of the schools. Well-known psychologist Dr. Alex Russell was invited to speak at two evening sessions with childcare provided by the secondary students and a pasta dinner held beforehand. The event was an unprecedented success. 400 parents attended. They learned new strategies and strengthened their connections with each other and with their children's schools. To fund the event, the seven schools planned to pool their $1,000 parent reaching out grants and St. Thomas Aquinas covered the costs up front. Then came the announcement that the pro grants were being paused, blindsiding the schools and creating an almost insurmountable $7,000 hole in the St. Thomas Aquinas school budget. In his email to me, Principal Howard expressed concern about the impact of this reckless decision asking, does this government care about all of the people of Ontario and not just about saving a few bucks? Do they value education? Speaker, I wish I could say yes. With the crisis in children's mental health and rising violence in our schools isn't supporting parents to develop resilient children exactly what our education system should be doing. It defies explanation to understand why this government is cancelling a program that does exactly that. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Mississauga, Erin Mills. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Exactly three weeks ago, I stood in here to celebrate the International Religious Freedom Day. Unfortunately, yet another incident has been carried on Coptic Christians in our Egypt. In the city of Minya, a family was happily visiting a monastery to celebrate the baptism of Newborn. When they were stopped by ISIL militants that opened fire on them, killing seven and injuring more than 18. Mr. Speaker, the Coptic community in Egypt has been a target of persecuted persecution, attacks and discrimination for decades. It is impossible to understand how can someone justify, let alone carry such heinous and barbaric attacks against peaceful people. I ask Egyptian government to do everything in its power to ensure that justice is served and enforce the maximum power of law. I strongly condemn all aspects of discrimination and violence on anyone based on their religions anywhere in the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements, the member for Brampton Center. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take my time here today to recognize again the members from Unified National Council 4,000 and local 4,003, the CNTL Brampton workers who are here in the gallery with us today. Thank you for all of the advocacy to make sure that your rights and your voices of the workers are heard. My colleague and I from Brampton North and Brampton East visited the workers on their information picket just a few weeks ago, and we were appalled to learn that the CNTL workers in Brampton have had to endure horrifying conditions, working conditions, for so long with absolutely no resolve. The members are on the information picket line trying to secure some of the most basic human rights in their workplace, including safe and dignified working conditions like access to bathrooms for women that are working on the lines with them. The conditions they are facing every day range from unhygienic washrooms to unsafe environments to even harassment and bullying in their workplace. Workers across this province are continuing to stand up and fight back to demand better because they deserve more. I am proud as a new member of the new Democratic Party to stand in solidarity with them all. An attack on one worker is an attack on all workers, and new Democrats will always make sure that we use our days here in the Legislature to fight for fair and dignified workplaces for all members of our province. Thank you very much. Do you recognize the member for Don Valley West? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yes, in a point of order, Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask for unanimous consent to make a member statement on behalf of one of my colleagues, in place of one of my colleagues. Member for Don Valley West is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to have permission to ask, as I heard to present a member statement on behalf of one of our colleagues. Agreed? Yes. Agreed. Member for Don Valley West. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, today we recognize in this House and we, most of us are wearing purple scarves to show support for abused women and children across Ontario, Mr. Speaker. So these are very important gestures that acknowledge that there is more work to be done to eradicate the abuse suffered by so many. Even more important, Mr. Speaker, are the actions that have been taken and the supports that have put in place over years here in Ontario. Some of those supports include the Office of the Child Advocate and services in French to Francophone women and children. And yet, Mr. Speaker, while the government has decided to wear the scarves and express their support for women and children, their actions speak louder and more clearly. Removing the Child Advocate and French language commissioner as they have done in their fall economic statement, ensure that these supports will be weakened. A child at risk or a Francophone woman experiencing violence looking for help may not find the supports that they need and will have less recourse, Mr. Speaker. Mr. President, if our children are safe in Ontario and if we have a strong Francophonie, our society and our province will be stronger. Our decisions are political and are dangerous. Thank you. Member Statements. The Member for Kitchener, Conestoga. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to commend the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for the commitment to expand long-term care beds in the region of Waterloo. Our Progressive Conservative Party made a clear campaign promise to finally end hallway health care. And now, in government, we are keeping that promise to the people of Ontario. Last month, our Premier and the Honourable Minister announced 6,000 new long-term care beds throughout the province, a rapid development 100 days in office to meet our campaign commitment for 15,000 new beds in 5 years and 30,000 new beds in 10 years. For the great region of Waterloo, this recent announcement will see 147 new long-term care beds coming online. This includes 51 new beds for St. Luke's Place in Cambridge, 97 new beds for the Schlagel villages in Winston Park and Kitchener. The latter represents a doubling of capacity which will begin to alleviate the growing demand for long-term care in the region. This is incredible news, Mr. Speaker. At the end of the month, I will be visiting Winston Park to meet the Schlagel health team to discuss this expansion and to hear from them what is needed moving forward. Earlier in this legislative session, I had the privilege to stand here and congratulate our government's $2 million commitment towards a new hospice in Waterloo, the Geese Family Centre. Our government was, is and will be forever clear that help is on the way to expand long-term care and end hallway health care in this province. The coming weeks, months and years, I will continue to work with the Ministry, the local Linn and health care providers to expand long-term care beds in my region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements. Member for Nicol Belt. Thank you, Speaker. Five years ago, on June 30th, 2013, there was a horrific boat accident on Lake Wannapetate in my riding. In that boat accident, three people, Mac, Homey, Michael, Chris, and Stephanie Berstra, died. They took a very long time, but we had a coroner's inquest into that voting accident. And the recommendations are out as to how do we make sure that the type of responses to that accident that failed those people miserably does not happen again. The coroners came to my community. The five years later, they held the inquest. And finally, people could see exactly where our first response system had failed. The person, there was one survivor to the boat accident who was able to call 9-1-1. The 9-1-1 called, was answered, and they dispatched an ambulance. Unfortunately, the ambulance has no way to get on a lake. So it took many hours before somebody clued in that the fire department has a huge rescue boat on Lake Wannapetate and are able to help as well as the police. Those failings of our 9-1-1 system are there for everybody to see. But the point of it is I want to make sure that the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services follows up on the important recommendation of this coroner's inquest. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Mississauga Malton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. November, as you know, is also known as November, a month when we raise money and shed light on men's health issues. Prostate cancer is one of those. Looking at the data, Mr. Speaker, in Canada, one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, a rate pretty similar to breast cancer, which is one in eight. That suggests that the cancer rate is even higher among those of African and Caribbean descent, and these are hard statistics. In Ontario alone, there are 8,500 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1,600 died. When detected early, the five-year survival rate is close to 100 percent, and the survival rate drops drastically to just 28 percent when diagnosed at a stage three and four. And the price that we pay for the late diagnosis is steep, too. Early diagnosis, the cost is $17,000. With late diagnosis, it is $83,000. Mr. Speaker, prevention is better than cure. There is a blood test available on market to prove with the proven results in screening for PSA. It costs $30 out of pocket, recommended every three to five years, combined with regular checks, it can increase the survival. And the odds of early detection are a better prospect for our fellow citizens. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Larissa Mones and Maria Glieden from Prostate Cancer for your presence today, and I hope this month let's support the November movement and talk about prostate cancer and other men issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member statements? The Member for Don Valley North. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Friday, November 9th, during Constituent's week, I wished North York General Hospital in my riding of Don Valley North. I met with new CEO Joshua Tepper and Vice President Karen Popowitz. North York General is regularly at full capacity. It is one of the five busiest hospitals in Ontario. It is great top two for both. It is an incredible volunteer network. In one year, North York General looks more than 90,000 volunteer hours. I want to thank all the staff and volunteers at North York General for their service to our community. As MPP for Don Valley North, I will be working hard to make sure this important hospital gets the support it needs. Our government is committed to ending hallway healthcare. We are taking action fast. We have dedicated $90 million in new funding for hospital this through season and around 6,000 new long-term care beds. We have committed to building 15,000 new long-term care beds in five years and 30,000 beds in 10 years. We will work to ensure Ontario has a healthcare system that is sustainable for years to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reports by committees.