 It is now time for Member Statements. The Member from Leeds-Grenville. Thanks, Speaker. I rise to commend participants in today's mom or mothers and others' march at Queen's Park in support of eating disorder sufferers, their families and their friends. Let me first begin by acknowledging members of the National Initiative for Eating Disorders who are with us today, including their founder and president, Wendy Prescoe. It was an honour to speak at their march and to host their press conference earlier this afternoon. This was an emotional day, Speaker, and I want to thank you for the tremendous strength and courage that all the members have shown today. Know this, your efforts are shining a light on eating disorders and providing a beacon of hope to those suffering in the shadows. Today's mom march at Queen's Park is one of six in Canada, in conjunction with one on Capitol Hill in Washington. These marches are sending a message that our health care system must do better in treating, diagnosing and raising public awareness about eating disorders. The need to act couldn't be more urgent. We know eating disorders are 12 times more likely to lead to death than any other mental illness, but there is hope for treatment, and that's why I wrote to Minister Hoskins in May. He asked him to be a champion for this devastating mental illness and for Ontario to lead the way in developing a national strategy on eating disorders. The lack of action is disappointing. But on behalf of those who have an eating disorder and the hundreds of thousands of family members suffering with them, I want to repeat that call. We need to do better and we need to start today. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for the member's statements, the member from Algoma, Manitoulin. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to take the opportunity to highlight an outstanding man I met over the summer month, named Ian Boss. On the 16th of January 2015, his father, Ted Boss, passed away after a brave fight with cancer. On the 21st of May 2015, Ian departed from the east coast on a cross-country walk in memory of his father and in honour of the excellent care his father, Ted, received. Ian's goal was to raise $25,000 for the Aberdeen Palliative Care Society and to raise funds and awareness for palliative care societies across Canada, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, and the Provincial Palliative Care Associations. Yesterday, Ian arrived in Vancouver, toured the Legislative Assembly, and completed his final two kilometres before dipping his feet in the west coast waters, bringing closer to an amazing feat. Congratulations, Ian, for completing this incredible journey which lasted 159 days and covered over 6,000 kilometres. Every community that Ian stopped into, every person he met, everyone who walked along Ian has learned a great deal from Ian's experience. Thank you for your inspiration, Ian, and for challenging many Canadians raising awareness of palliative care and for the importance of hospice homes and workers across the country. End of life care matters. It really does. It was a joy and honour to share part of this walk with you, and I hope our path cross again. Thank you. Thank you. Member States, the member for Scarborough Rouge River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the occasion of Manufacturing Month, and to recognise a hallmark company in Scarborough, Atlantic Packaging Products Limited, who is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Starting as a family-owned paper bag company in 1945, Atlantic Packaging currently employs approximately 1,400 people and has 21 manufacturing plants and warehouses providing good manufacturing jobs right here in Ontario. The Ontario government played a part in this growth, too, as their Whitby Papermill was able to add jobs last year, thanks to the help of Ontario's Industrial Electricity Incentive Program. Through this mill and other sites, Atlantic continues to lead in clean energy. This project creates steam from papermill-residual biosolids to reduce natural gas consumption. Early on, Atlantic pioneered the use of a hundred percent recycled container board in North America, and currently this process results in saving over 15 million trees per year. At the heart of this company lies a true entrepreneurial spirit headed by Mr. Irvin Granovsky, the chairman. Atlantic Packaging is a shining example of how employee innovation, management techniques and technology can lead to growth that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. So I would like to mark their 70th anniversary on the occasion of manufacturing month and commend them for bringing good jobs to Ontario and making our province grow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Further member statements? Member for Velvet, Middlesex, London. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'd like to bring statements with regards to MS, multiple sclerosis. Canada has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the world. Not only do 100,000 Canadians live with the disease, but their families, friends and communities do as well. In Ontario, over 37,000 people are living with this disease. The unpredictability and invisible nature of the disease creates a challenge for Canadians living with MS and their caregivers as it affects their employment and financial security. Canadians with MS need our support to ensure continued employment while respecting the daily challenges they face. It is our job as parliamentarians to ensure that policies are in place so that MS patients have access to quality coordinated care. We need to streamline the drug approval process to ensure new medications and treatments are available for MS patients. We need to ensure the ADP process paperwork is minimized to ensure patients have access to the aids they will need. Today, Mr. Speaker, I carry around a carnation to show my solidarity with the MS community and the fight against MS. I urge each of us to join the fight and NMS in our lifetime and affect positive change in the lives of those impacted by the disease today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Further members Davis, the member from Hamilton East, Stony Creek. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, US Steel bought Stelco in 2007 based on one 31 promises around employment, production, capital investment, pension funding and community support. It has broken those promises again and again, enabled by Harper's federal government. In September, it transferred many of its Canadian contracts to its U.S. plants. Now it says the very loss of those contracts, which it caused, means it can't afford to meet its obligations. US Steel Canada has stopped paying property taxes in municipalities like the city of Hamilton and it has suspended health, medical and dental benefits and life insurance for 20,000 families and retirees. This is both an insult and an injury to the people who have suffered enormous health difficulties because of their work. My office has heard from countless pensioners who cannot afford the essential medicines. They fear for their lives, Speaker. I would like to acknowledge the provincial government and the Minister of Finance for providing $3 million in emergency transitional assistance. The fund will, over the next six months, help retirees with critical health needs and facilitate their transition to any available support schemes such as the Trillium Drug Program or the Ontario Drug Benefit Program. But this fund will not and could never be enough and won't last long, Speaker. There will be mounting health care bills for US Steel's actions, which will be borne by the retirees themselves, their families, their communities and ultimately the province as well. Speaker, broken promises lead to broken budgets and broken lives. Thank you. Further member states, the member from Mississauga-Brempton South. Mr. Speaker, October is Manufacturing Month in Ontario and I'm proud to celebrate with the Canadian manufacturers and exporters in Ontario. In my great riding Mississauga-Brempton South and all over Ontario, manufacturing is an essential part of the economy. Despite changes in our manufacturing base and fierce global competition, the sector grows stronger each day due in part to the spirit of innovation which drives modern manufacturing. Mr. Speaker, our government is working closely with the industry to foster innovation by leveraging investments like Pratt and Whitney in Mississauga to help it sees new opportunities and create great jobs. Bison transports new facility in my riding is also a sign of manufacturing strength. Bison just opened a $25 million state-of-the-art 19,000 square foot terminal that makes it a transport leader throughout the region. I'm so very proud of the many companies in my riding for their hard work, for their leadership and for the thousands of great jobs they provide to my constituents. Mr. Speaker, I'm also proud to be a part of the government that supports our manufacturers in the province of Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. The Salgie Memorial Hospital in Southampton has become a true testimony to the difference that dedicated citizens can make. And I am pleased that the community will finally achieve their goal of a new emergency room and laboratory in their local hospital. The project will expand the emergency and lab departments a change that has been needed for quite some time. And just imagine, to get into the waiting hall, if you will, of a hospital, you would have to walk through a triage. And essentially, Mr. Speaker, that's the reality they've been living with for too long. And it's the waiting room in the ER. It's not air-conditioned. They could only find a way to prop a small fan above the doorway to the hallway where people lined up in chairs waiting for their turn to see a doctor. This improvement has been needed for years. And now, with the ministerial approval granted to tenure the project, it is expected that the project will be completed finally by fall of 2018. While the profits provides the bulk of the funding, the role of the community has been vital to the project's success. Volunteers and supportive community members came through and worked tirelessly towards the $2.9 million goal. And to quote the fundraising chair, Tony shared, they are this close, Speaker. I'm pleased to say that, as of this past summer, the campaign is a mere $150,000 away from its fundraising goal and they're going to achieve it. Congratulations. And all I have to say to wrap up this, do not forget about the current hospital. Thank you. Thank you. Will the member stand? Is the member from Cambridge? Thank you, Speaker. I'm very proud to have been a part of the fight against multiple sclerosis. For many years in my community of Cambridge, and indeed in Waterloo Region, I've cared for individuals and their families dealing with multiple sclerosis. As a community nurse, a critical care nurse, and as a care coordinator for the Community Care Access Centre, these families have complex needs trying to raise children, work, and plan for their futures. With Canada having the highest rate of MS in the world, it's our job as public servants to support citizens of this great country when they're faced with such an unpredictable disease. As my colleague across the way said earlier, in Ontario over 37,000 people are living with this disease, and those Ontarians faced a host of physical, mental, and economic effects brought on by the disease itself and the challenges it creates for these people and those that are caring for them. I encourage my fellow members to advocate for income and employment support systems which will ensure that those that are affected by MS will get the help that they need as soon as they need it. Quality and coordinated healthcare is also integral to ensure that those living with MS and their loved ones can continue to live healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives. Speaker, today I am standing in my place in my fight against MS, and I encourage all of you in the House to do so, as well as the constituents in my riding. We need to show a solid area against MS. Thank you. Thank you. Further remember statements. The members from Newmark have a word. Well, thank you, Speaker. I rise today on your behalf to honour a community in your riding that has come together to show support for Evan Levassage, who's been battling brain cancer for five of his seven years. This past weekend, the entire community in the small town of St. George in the riding of Brandt bought Christmas to Evan. On Saturday, a parade with more than two dozen floats, including Santa Claus himself, passed by Evan's house in St. George. When Evan's family learned that their son's brain tumor had spread, they decided to celebrate Christmas early this year at the suggestion of their doctors. With only two days of organising, the community showed an outpouring of support for the request of Evan's family. 7,000 people joined Saturday's celebration. More than double the population of this small town in Brandt. They lined Evan's street, cheering as he passed by the festive lit houses sitting next to Santa in his sleigh. During the ceremonies, Brandt County police and firefighters presented Evan with uniforms and made him their honorary member. Children handed him cards. Evan's neighbours decked out their homes with lights and decorations. Snow machines blew for hours, blanketing parts of Evan's street in gentle snowfall. His family says they are still overwhelmed by the response from their town and from the presents and messages they've received that they've received from their incredibly caring community in St. George and throughout Brandt, Ontario, Canada and beyond. Today through you, Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the great people of St. George, your constituents, for the way they supported this boy and his family at this very difficult time. May we all respond with the same compassion and generosity to the people in need in all our communities. Merry Christmas, Evan. Thank you. I did give them some extra time. Thank you. I thank all members for their statements. Thank you.