 We'll begin with member statements. I recognize the member for Markham Unionville. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to share my recent work that aims at enhancing the well-being and engagement of our cherished senior population. Our government's unwavering commitment to seniors' welfare is evident through initiatives fostering inclusion and community involvement, facilitated by a range of grants. To empower senior organizations in accessing this opportunity, I recently hosted a hybrid workshop at my community office in Markham Unionville. This session was designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools for navigating the grant application process with the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. I'm grateful to the dedicated organizations and individuals who contributed to the success of this workshop, whether attending in person or virtually. Their active participation underscored the collective determination to uplift our seniors' quality of life. I'm also grateful to the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, particularly Mr. Resava, Director of Policy, who shared his invaluable insights and practical guidance with our participants. With the success of the workshop, I look forward to differing deeper to topics of interest in stakeholders in Markham Unionville and organize more workshops of similar nature in future. Their contributions to our community are invaluable, and it is our collective duty to ensure our senior continued well-being and prosperity. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Waterloo. Thank you very much. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the International Women's Day Celebration with the Coalition of Muslim Women of KW. The event brought together a diverse group of women to celebrate and learn from each other. Founder and Leader of the Coalition, Faizia Mazur, shared with me how she dreamed of building this community since 2010. It was wonderful to witness her dream come to life and share that experience with her. Faizia's story is truly remarkable. She arrived from Pakistan in 2000 and gave so much of herself to others to ensure bonds were built both within her home as a mother and in her community as a leader. Then in 2019, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. In 2022, when she had finally recovered, she was involved in a near-death collision. The impact caused life-threatening injuries to her head and spinal cord leaving her in a wheelchair, but that did not stop her. Faizia's leadership and dedication to the community are truly inspiring. She has brought together some amazing female leaders and our community is stronger because of them. Her work in promoting gender equality, cultural diversity, and women's rights is commendable. The celebration was a reminder of the strength and resilience of women, especially in the face of challenges and discrimination. Faizia's efforts are making a significant difference in the lives of women in Kitchener Waterloo community and these women, the coalition, their work is a shining example of the positive change that can be achieved through advocacy and empowerment. Thank you, Faizia, and thank you to the coalition of Muslim women. Thank you very much. Member statements. The member for Sault Ste. Marie. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and it's with some excitement that I'm here this morning to provide some words of congratulations to our Sault Ste. Marie Sault College Cougars, women's hockey team who on Saturday, March 16th, won their second national title in consecutive years with a three to nothing victory over the Cinnaboyne Community College Cougars at the American Collegiate Hockey Association, women's division to national championship in St. Louis, Missouri. During the championship game, Emma Lee paced the offense with two goals with Materia Land adding an insurance marker in the third. The Cougars goalie, Farstad, stopped 22 shots for the shutout. There's a history between the Cougar squads as the Brandon-based Cougars team had handed Sault College their only loss this season and a 4-1 setback at the Northern Community Center in Sault Ste. Marie on January 20th, breaking the team's one and one-half year winning streak. That is correct. They had a one and a half year winning streak and the Brandon-based team did defeat them and break the winning streak, but ultimately our Cougars still managed to come out on top in the finals and won their second national title. The Cougars had gone 31-0 in winning their first ACHA title last season and started this season with 16 wins and a tie through 17 games until that loss that I referenced. The Cougars went 3-0 in division pool D with wins over Merckhurst University, United States Naval Academy, and Northeastern University and I just want to offer them great congratulations for their second year in a row victory. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Kiwetnau. Miigwetsa, speaker. Good morning. Last week I participated in one of my favorite events of the year, the Northern Bands Hockey Tournament in Dryden, Ontario. Year after year, this tournament brings hockey players, families, friends and fans across the North together to share their love of hockey. People in Kiwetnau, they face challenges, barriers, just to even play hockey. While artificial hockey rinks and hockey leagues are the norm across Ontario, most of the communities in Kiwetnau do not have organized hockey leagues because they do not have artificial ice and rely on outdoor rinks to play. But hockey is an important role. Hockey plays an important role for many people as we fight the ongoing mental health and the suicide crisis in the North. Hockey supports our physical health and wellness. It is a lifeline for our mental health. Hockey is suicide prevention. Also, Northern Bands Hockey Tournament brings our nations together through sport. We reunited with each other. We are united with each other, celebrated, cheered for all the hockey talent from the North. There were 44 teams participating. And at this time I want to congratulate the A-side champions of Michigan Lake Mavericks, the B-side champions, KI native wings and the C-side champions, Cut Lake Snappers on their championships and to all the teams. Make sure you get them shaped for next year. Miigwets. Thank you very much. Member Statements, member for Quarthalakes, Halliburton. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to stand today and congratulate Team Canada for earning a silver medal at the 2024 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. The annual tournament took place from March 2nd to 9th in South Korea and featured a total of 12 participating countries. From the round robin to the playoffs, the team fought hard but fell 6-2 to Norway in the championship round. This is the second straight silver medal for the team and their third in the last four years. I wanted to give a special shout out to two members of the team that hail from my riding of Halliburton, Quarthalakes Brock. John Thurston from Dunsford and Chrissy Mollner from Bob Cajun. Thank you to my friend and home coach, Carl Rennig for recruiting John and Chrissy to the team. Carl has been a wheelchair curling coach since 2006. John Thurston made his fifth appearance for Team Canada in the World Wheelchair Curling Championship and represented Team Canada at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics where the team took home a bronze medal. As for Chrissy, this was her first ever appearance in the World Wheelchair Curling Tournament after taking a break in 2012 to have her third child. Congratulations on the hard fought tournament and thank you both for being strong representatives for our area and for Canada on the world stage. Thank you very much. Member State makes the member for Ottawa Center. Thank you, Speaker. I rise pride this morning to thank colleagues at the federal level last night in a historic vote of 204 to 117, voted for a motion that was called Peace in the Middle East. Now, Speaker, I know on social media this morning there will be people scrawling points, talking about how this was a vote against certain people. I want to remind the members of this house that human rights is inter-jurisdictional and seeing the value of every person to have peace and security is inter-jurisdictional. And I want to thank people from the Blocke-Bitcois, from the Green Party, from the Liberal Party and from my party, the Democrat Party, who stood up last night to tell our government that we need to be a voice for peace. This is what Canadians have been calling for for months. And it's not easy, Speaker, to march in the rain, to march in the snow, to feel like you're not being heard, to feel like your humanity is not being seen. But it was seen last night at the House of Commons, Speaker. And I want to thank MPs Heather McPherson and Matthew Green for leading that. And I want to end, Speaker, on a note of great pride from Albert Dumont, Algonquin Elder, poet laureate of our city in Ottawa, who told me when I got elected, Joel, you can use your platform to tear other people down or you can use it to heal your community and to heal our country and heal our world. So I want to thank the parliamentarians last night who sent a clear message to the government of Israel, who sent a clear message to all those involved in a horrifying war at this moment, the war has to stop. The war has to stop and we need peace. Thank you. I'll find the members to make their comments through the chair. Member Statements, the member for Flamborough, Glandon. Thank you and good morning, Mr. Speaker. It's my pleasure to rise today to recognize the achievements of a young student from my riding. Mitchell Clapperton from Watertown is a winner of the Shulik Leader Scholarship. This $120,000 scholarship is awarded to high school graduates who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, charisma, and creativity. Recipients have enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, or math program at one of 20 partner universities across Canada. Mitchell is beginning his first year studying electrical engineering at the LaSance School of Engineering at York University. Mr. Speaker, Mitchell is a four-time gold medal winner at the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair. Three of his projects went on to win medals in Canada-wide competitions and won qualified for an international competition. He is always looking for innovative ways to solve problems. His first invention in grade seven was inspired by speaking with a family friend who worked at a pharmacy and developed carpal tunnel syndrome from opening pill bottles. To help the situation, he created an automated pill bottle opener. Scholarships, such as the Shulik Leader Scholarship, allow students to enhance their knowledge and provide them with tools for after graduation. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing the positive impact that Mitchell will bring to our society. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Haldeman-Norfolk. Speaker, this morning I want to give a huge shout out to South Coast Special Needs Kids and the Norfolk County OPP on yet another successful Sledge Hockey matchup last weekend in Waterford. South Coast Kids is a nonprofit organization providing recreational sports programming for children with special needs. Activities include baseball, basketball, golf, and of course, Sledge Hockey. Mr. Speaker, I was honored to play in the game. My first Sledge Hockey game ever and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Sledge Hockey is fast paced and it takes a great deal of skill. I was on the Norfolk County OPP side and well, we were severely outplayed by some very fierce competitors on South Coast Kids. The final score, five-one. The game helps raise awareness for the organization and also collects donations for local food banks. Ron Guthrie is the president of South Coast Special Needs Kids and at the end of the game, he told the crowd how important this event is for the athletes. It's like their Stanley Cup, he said. More than a dozen athletes between the ages of seven and 33 were part of the South Coast Kids team. Thank you to the Norfolk County OPP officers who participated and I'd like to specifically mention Constable Jeremy Renton, who organized the game. Renton said it's all about giving back to the community. It's giving a showcase to amazing athletes that are there every Sunday practicing their skills. It shows the community focus of Norfolk County OPP engaging with their community. It's a great day, Renton said. Speaker, it was more than a great day. It was a terrific day and I can't wait until next year's puck drop. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Scarborough Aging Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last month was the best month of the year. Not because it was the Super Bowl, but because it was Lunar New Year. Asian communities across my riding of Scarborough Aging Court had the opportunity to celebrate the year of the dragon together with their families. Mr. Speaker, Lunar New Year is a time when we remove the bad and the old and welcome the new and the good. It is an opportunity for quality family time and to show gratitude and love towards those who close to you. It is time when families and cultural organizations come together to show unique and beautiful cultural performances and have feast together. I have to say, Mr. Speaker, that this year the celebrations were fantastic and marvelous. I had the opportunity to attend over 35 different Lunar New Year celebrations. I would like to thank the various cultural seniors and business associations for organizing this event. These jaw-dropping celebrations full of food, performances, and games. It is events like these that makes Ontario a truly multicultural and vibrant province. Mr. Speaker, I also had the opportunity to organize my first Lunar New Year celebration in my riding, where over 400 people attended. It was truly heartwarming for me to see the community come together and people from different cultures come to celebrate the Lunar New Year together as one big family. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Sarnia Lampton. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today and update the members of this House on the historic success of the Lampton College women's basketball team, who this past weekend captured the silver medal at the Canadian College Athletic Association's national championship in Lloydminster, Alberta. Described by their coach, Janine Day, as a team of firsts. This year's team delivered a season for the ages for Lampton College, including finishing on top of the Ontario West Division, standing for the first time, securing home court advantage for the provincial championship for the first time, defeating the number two ranked team in the country and winning the provincial championship for the very first time, earning a birth in the national championship for the first time, and playing in the national championship game for the first time. Mr. Speaker, on many occasions I stood in the House and spoke about the best in class education and experience that students receive at Lampton College. And in turn, those students are using that education and experience to do amazing things right across the country. Lampton College is truly a center of innovation and excellence within our province. Congratulations to everyone at Lampton College on such a fantastic season. Let's go, Lyons. Here, here. Thank you very much. That concludes our member's statements for this morning. Introduction.