 It is now time for member statements. I recognize the member for Kitchener Centre. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Today I rise with deep gratitude for the People's Action Group in Waterloo Region. They are a group of concerned people who have lived on the streets and in the shelters of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. People who have navigated housing systems meant to help them. They wrote to me to let me know that they need us. And I quote, It has been said of homeless people that they are not the problem but that they are the result of a problem. Problems of affordable housing, problems of our treatment of mental health and addiction. I want them to know that they are absolutely right. They are right to ask us to use our positions of privilege and power to think about the impact of each and every piece of legislation that goes through this house on people who are sleeping rough at night. They are right to ask us if we see shelters as a solution to homelessness or a bandaid for the same. And they are right to ask us if we see shelters as a solution to homelessness or a bandaid for the same. They are right when they say that homelessness can only be solved by the hard work and compassion of people like me, people like us. In your position of power you have the ability to become a part of the solution to join in on the hard work and compassion needed to address homelessness. I refuse to lose hope because they are right to call on us to do better and we must do better. The people of Ontario deserve nothing less. Thank you. Member Statements. Member for Haldeman Norfolk. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. The illegal blockade of Highway 6 at Caledonia must come down. To position I have consistently fought for over the past 14 years. Illegal blockades are dangerous. Seriously hinder the movement of people, goods and services and illegal blockades that force tractor trailers and heavy trucks onto county roads have proven very dangerous. The Caledonia bypass blockade must come down. The Caledonia blockade is part of an ongoing national insurgence. Protesters have blocked rail lines in several parts of Canada to show solidarity with hereditary, what's it all in, chiefs, opposed to the construction of the coastal gas link natural gas pipeline in British Columbia. The provincial government continues to call on the federal government to continue to step up and take responsibility with a coordinated plan of action to dismantle illegal blockades. We respect the right to assemble, but enough is enough. People are being hurt and their livelihoods affected. I'm in my second week at Queens Park pushing this position. With my colleagues, with members of cabinet and the Premier, I and my staff are on the ground at Caledonia and Haggisville monitoring and communicating. Caledonia needs some help. Thank you, Speaker. Member for Hamiltonese, Stoney Creek. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, there are grave injustices taking place each and every day across this province, including to my constituents. Ontarians have unjustly lost their freedom. Children have been taken from their families. These who were fleeing persecution could face torture and death if deported without fair and proper legal representation. These injustices and the many other violations to people's freedoms are the direct result of the recent 30% cut to legal aid in Ontario. To add insult to injury, these cuts, it doesn't save money. The Canadian Bar Association found that for every dollar spent on legal aid, governments save $6. Mr. Speaker, this means the government has added as much as three quarters of a billion dollars to costs of other parts of our justice system and social surface. That includes courts, jails, child protection services and welfare roles. Last week I met with illegal aid lawyers and their union, the Society of United Professionals, about these cuts. I want to thank the frontline staff lawyers for their dedication to our justice system and I join them in calling on the Premier to reverse his $133 million cuts to legal aid in Ontario. Member Statements, the Member for Carleton. Thank you Mr. Speaker. On Friday, February 28, I was pleased to host the honourable ministers, Rickford and Walker, at a small roundtable discussion in Metcalf to discuss energy, hydro, natural gas and more in Carleton. Constituents and representatives from various parts of my riding of Carleton, including local City of Ottawa councillor George DeRuz, gathered together to share feedback and give ideas on what our government can do to help build Ontario together. It was a very informative discussion and the ministers were kind enough to stay for almost two hours answering everyone's questions and taking notes for follow-up. I want to thank Minister Rickford and Minister Walker for taking the time to visit my riding and to get a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by rural communities in Carleton who are still considered, quote-unquote, urban because they fall under the City of Ottawa's municipal boundaries. Communities like Metcalf, Osgoode, Richmond, North Gore, Ashton, Greeley, Cars, Vernon, Beckett's Landing and more. I look forward to continuing the conversation and working with both ministers to be a strong voice for the people I'm here to represent and serve. I also want to take an opportunity to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. Last year, I held my first annual International Women's Day events across the riding and they were a huge success. Once again, I'm hosting two free community events for International Women's Day on Sunday, March 8th, breakfast, enrichment and high tea in Metcalf. I encourage everyone to come out and attend. You can get more information on my website, go to the MPP.ca or call my office at 613-838-4425. Thank you. We're going to continue with member statements and I would ask members to please quieten down. Member statements? The member for Kiwetanaw. Good morning, Speaker. This morning, I would like to tell a story about where I come from, my community of King Fisher Lake. What many people don't know is that we moved to where we live now in 1966, but before this, our community and others were part of Big Beaver House. King Fisher Lake received reserve status in 1976. We were placed under the Indian Act and forced to under an elected band council system. Our first government school was built in 1973. This school had the only system for hydro and sewage in the community. In the early 80s, the community installed its own electrification system. We got a gravel road in 1987. We got sewage and running water in 1994. Despite all this, there has been 20 plus deaths by suicide in my community since 1987. And across the Kiwetanaw riding, since 1986, we've had over 400 deaths by suicide. This is what colonialism looks like. As a community and as First Nations, we will continue to fight for our right to exist, our right to practice who we are, and our right to speak our language. So I ask, how do we fix this? Some say reconciliation, but how does this work when Ontario doesn't acknowledge that this is broken, this is a broken relationship and that reconciliation is dead. Some say I hear, say that reconciliation never really existed. Miigwech. Member statements and member for Guelph. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to compliment the students in the community environmental leadership program and youth action on climate change. They did an amazing job moderating a climate town hall hosted by Guelph's MP, including Mayor Guthrie and myself. The town hall filled a hard court united church with so many people that they actually had to turn people away. Speaker, it's clear. People want climate action and people are deeply disappointed that the government has not brought forward a credible climate plan since the auditor general tore apart their environment plan. I was especially impressed by how the students connected job creation to climate action. Renewable investors have invested $2.6 trillion in renewable energy in the last decade and will invest an additional $3.5 billion every single year over the next five years. Speaker, young people want jobs in the clean economy, but it is hard to see how Ontario will attract these investment dollars when the government is ripping up renewable energy contracts and peddling a made to fail climate plan. Young people are demanding a livable future, and I urge the government to listen to their call for urgent action on the climate crisis. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. The next statement, the member for Cambridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. Last year in December, I was pleased to announce on behalf of the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health that the Cambridge North Dumfries Ontario Health team was one of the 24 chosen to launch our government's new model of care to end hallway health care and build a connected and sustainable health care system centered on the needs of patients. We've been working collaboratively in Cambridge and North Dumfries on health care and on many things for a while, thanks to organizations such as Lions Community Health Centre, which really is a focal point for people to access services and supports that they need, along with Cambridge Memorial Hospital and other organizations that continue to work to innovate, improve and support health care in our community. Congratulations and thank you to the health care providers, organizations and leaders, people like Dr. Sharon Ball, Cambridge Memorial Hospital President Patrick Gaskin and Bill Davidson, Lang's executive director and of course other community partners who helped plan the Cambridge North Dumfries Ontario Health team and work to make it a reality. Thank you to all of our health care professionals and providers for what they do every day, serving Cambridge and North Dumfries. Thank you. Thank you. Member statements? The Member for Nicobel. Thank you, Speaker. Outfitters in my riding are facing a really hard time right now. The government has deemed the northern herd of moose too small to hunt. So what does the government do? Do they look at the dozens of moose who get killed on the same tracks of railroad every year? No. This government that says that they are open for business is putting all of those small business operators at risk. Fisher brings in tourism. They create wealth in their community, but by now many of them won't be able to stay open. Speaker, do we want to protect these majestic animals? For sure. I have to ask the Member for Kitchener Conestoga to withdraw the unparliamentary mark that I heard in murder. We already have a lot of that. We'll draw it. Apologize to the Member for Nicobel. I'll give you extra time. Speaker, do we want to protect these majestic animals? For sure. I know one northerner who does not want a healthy moose population. But when the federal government shut down the cod fishery, they put in place a compensation system so that people can transition. Business could stay alive. It should be the same for my constituents all across the North who invested in their outfitting business. Richard Como from Hardwood Pulse, Paul and Angie Chartrand from Big Bear Camp, Jim Loiselle from JNL Lakeview Retrie, Henri and Nira Beers from Tate Chipikata Lake Lodge, Gary Stocking, King Capel from Thunderstock Outfitters. And the list goes on, Speaker. All these small business are at risk because of this government decision. They deserve government attention. They deserve government compensation. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The next statement, the Member for Whitby. Thank you, Speaker. This past Friday on behalf of the Honorable Monty McNaught and the Minister of Labor, the training service is being developed. I officially opened a second action center in Oshawa to provide services and supports to approximately 1,700 workers from independent parts supplier companies impacted by the closure of the General Motors Assembly plant. The action center is in partnership with Unifor and a new center connects workers with job and training opportunities, counseling services and workshops . Speaker, a job fair is also being organized on April 22, 2020 at Durham College in Oshawa to help connect workers more quickly with local job opportunities. Speaker, we know this is a challenging time for many workers and families. Our government stands with the people in Durham region and we will continue to help those affected by the closure adjust and retrain so that they can do what they want. I would like to thank the member for pastings, Lennox and Attington. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our government, Martin Falls First Nations and Webequay First Nations are taking a major step in unlocking jobs and opportunity in Northern Ontario's Ring of Fire region by entering into an historic agreement to advance the planning and development of a peace signing ceremony. This government is delivering on its promise to move forward with the development of the Ring of Fire with willing partners including indigenous groups and Northern communities. After 15 years of delay by the previous government, we said that we will build a road to the Ring of Fire and we are working with our incredible partners in the Martin Falls First Nations and Webequay communities across the Fire North. This all season road project would also improve access to health and social services and put in place proven infrastructure such as high speed internet and reliable cellular carriers for the First Nations and other communities nearby. Chief Bruce Ashupinacum of Martin Falls First Nations said, and I quote, we look forward to working together with this province of Ontario to ensure the community of the First Nations. Chief Cornelius Wobos of Webequay First Nations said that they've been working together with Ontario for many years to reach this point. Finally, road development will help bring prosperity to communities across the entire region and better infrastructure both on and off reserves. That concludes our member statements for this morning.