 Therefore, it's time for members' statements. The member from Wellington, Halton Hills. Mr. Speaker, last fall the legislature unanimously endorsed my private members' resolution, which called upon the Minister of Transportation to partner with the Town of Halton Hills to develop a long-term transportation strategy for the town. I worked with the Mayor and staff of the Town of Halton Hills on it, and our efforts were supported by Town Council. I spoke of the possible need for Highway 7 act and bypass, the issues surrounding the proposed commercial development of 340 Main Street Acton, the Halton Peele boundary area transportation study, which could lead to the construction of bypasses in Georgetown and Norville, a study which had been put on hold because of the GTA West corridor study, the promised all-day two-way go train service from Kitchener Waterloo to Union Station with stops in Wellington, Halton Hills, the town's role in the government's decision to widen the 401 from Milton to Mississauga, and the need for traffic signals near the Sands condominium in Georgetown. We called upon the Minister of Transportation to be a funding partner and support the town's vision of building and ensuring safe and efficient transportation opportunities for our residents and businesses. In response, the ministry says we need to show that there are operational benefits to the provincial King's Highway 7 before they will determine whether or not they will become a funding partner in Phase 2 of the town study. I don't think that will be a problem. We have a new Minister of Transportation appointed on January 17th. She has the confidence of the Premier, and she represents a riding adjacent to mine. I am happy to work with her in the remaining days of this Parliament, and I have always been willing to reach across party lines to get things done. I invite the Minister to visit the town of Halton Hills and announce her ministry's support as a funding partner for the town of Halton Hills long-term transportation. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Further member Stainless, the member from Hamilton East, Tony Creek. Thank you, Speaker. This is a message not to the government, Speaker, but to all Ontarians. Over the years, I have heard a lot about the lack of funding for Ontario health care. Most recently, it has been the Nurse Practitioners Association, the Registered Nurses Association, and representatives from many unions, including CUPY, who I have fortunate enough to meet with to talk about all these issues. They are all upset that our nursing and health care services are really underfunded. Across the board, we see our community's nurse practitioners underpaid, a shortage of registered nurses in our hospitals, recruitment and training resources lacking, and hospitals bursting at the seams with patients being shoved into every nook and cranny they can find. I fear the day that hospitals will someday be treating people in the parking lot, I hope not. It is overwhelming to think how long this has been going on for. The Liberals have not kept their health care spending in line with inflation since the McGinty days. The effect has been a system that is failing people left, right and centre. In my hometown of Hamilton, we have been feeling the pinch. Ambulance blackouts, patient treatment in hospital hallways are becoming the norm. To make matters worse, this government has cut over 27 million to Hamilton hospitals this past year alone. Hamilton Health Sciences overall has been particularly hit hard by cuts of 120 million since 2011. It is absurd to suggest that the newest budget and the throne speech will magically erase all the horrors our fellow Ontarians have felt in our suffering. The witching hour will soon be upon us, so I urge Ontarians not to forget what happened and seek out a real resolution to the crumbling health care system. It is about time we get a fresh new government that will be bringing about meaningful action. Thank you. Thank you. Further member Samus, the member from Etobicoke North. Thank you, Speaker. For the Francophonie Week, I am very happy to speak here to remind you of the significance of this celebration for Ontario. The French language has shaped our country and Ontario for centuries, and every day, it keeps shaping the society in which we live. Ontario counts more than 600,000 Franco-Ontarians who contribute fully to the economy and the culture of our province. The Franco-Ontarian community is full of people that were born here and elsewhere. It is an example of contemporary society that is unique and open to the world. French language is very important for our province on several levels, and as a member of the International Francophonie Association, Ontario is now lending a hand to the whole world to create alliance and partnerships. Ontario is the province with more Francophones outside of Quebec. To finish, I would like to invite all Francophones and Francophiles to share the pride and use the hashtag Nouvelle-Mars. Further members? Davies, the member from York Central. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I'm pleased to have the opportunity to begin by doing a shout-out. I want to do that for the Georgina advocate because last week, for the first time that I was aware and the Georgina advocate, there was a full-page front page devoted to the issue around human trafficking. I have always been very pleased with the work that my colleague from Halliburton Cork, the Lakesbrook, has done, and certainly began by making me as well as her colleagues aware of the whole issue of human trafficking. So I was pleased to see this newspaper article in my own paper because it helps all of us extend that message, the recognition that it deserves. The girl next door as truly could be any girl. It is important that we never forget that this is happening in communities across on Ontario, and I might say I noticed advertising to protect girls in public places in the U.S. as well. So human trafficking is something we all need to understand and be wary of. Thank you. Well done. Thank you. Further member Stevens, the member from London, Fanshawe. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of thousands of Ontarians who are facing challenges finding a family doctor and accessing the healthcare they deserve. On a weekly basis, I hear from constituents concerned they cannot find a local family doctor or nurse practitioner. When my office raises these concerns with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, they simply point to their Health Care Connect program. But time and time again, I have seen this program fail my constituents as they cannot find a family doctor even when registered with Health Care Connect. Regrettably, many of these constituents represent some of the most vulnerable and high-needs patients. Many are on ODSP, have pain prescriptions or chronic conditions and mental health care concerns. The Lennon District Academy of Medicine used to keep a list on their website of local doctors who are taking new patients. I just checked the website this morning and there are still no names listed. And even when there are, the list tends to cater to specific types of patients like pediatrics and OBG and YN. My constituents look for months. They take countless calls, cold call clinics and doctors. Sometimes they are able to get a doctor and get in the door, fill out an application and have an interview only to be told that they have been rejected. Today I stand on behalf of my constituents and demand that this government do better. Ontarians need to know they have equitable and access to a family doctor or a nurse practitioner. Thank you, Speaker. Further member statement? The member from Scarborough Agent Court. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of hundreds of Scarborough Agent Court Commuters who enjoy the recently expanded GOES transit services on the Stoveline. Last fall, Stoveline increases its two-way service to 34 trains a day, Monday through Friday. This increase enables Scarborough Agent Court residents to have a greater flexibility to get downtown whether they are going to work or coming back to home. I am delighted with the recently reduced fare for the riders of GOE Transit and the TTC using the Presto car. It is expected that the commuters transferring between the two networks will see a saving of approximately $720 per year. This is a positive change for the pocketbooks of daily transit commuters. Most recently, Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to talk to the members of the transit commuters. Most recently, Mr. Speaker, I welcome the new Metrolinx CEO, Phil Worcester, with a meeting with the Walkerboss Agent Court GOES station. I was joined by the President and Vice President of the Agent Court Village Residence Association, MP Jean Yip, and Toronto City Councilor Jim Ker-Janets and Chin Lee. With the feedback from the commuters and as well as residents, we had a robust conversation about the commitment of Metrolinx to improve community experience for more frequent train services, parking expansion and station improvements, as well as pedestrian and commuter safety. Under the leadership of Phil Worcester, I am hoping that Metrolinx will continue to partner with Scarborough Agent Court commuters and residents to ensure the expanded Stovill Line is safe, transparent, affordable and efficient. Thank you. Warnings are still available. Thank you. Members' statements. The member from Leonard Front, Atlantic and Addington. Thank you very much, Speaker. That was big on. Speaker, in 1999, almost 20 years ago, the Progressive Conservative Government introduced and passed the Taxpayer Protection Act, a piece of legislation designed to ensure that the government would be accountable to the people when creating new taxes. The Act requires that, before the introduction of any new tax, it either be included and recognized in an election mandate or that a referendum be held, so that Ontario residents and households can have a proper and meaningful say on what has become the largest part of their budget. A lot has changed since 1999. One of the greatest of these is the circumvention of the Taxpayer Protection Act by this liberal government through provisions designed to bypass this obligation and their accountability to the people of Ontario. It is for this reason that I introduce a bill this afternoon designed to restore the strength to the Taxpayer Protection Act by removing the ability for its authority to be subverted by provisions in new legislation. It will ensure that the voices and hard earned money of Ontario families and workers are protected and will force the government to call a referendum if they want to propose any new taxes beyond what they propose in their election mandate. For far too long, this liberal government has circumvented the accountability of the Taxpayer Protection Act and it is fast coming to a close. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and today is World Down Syndrome Day. So today, across Ontario and indeed across the world, we celebrate the exceptional abilities that people with Down Syndrome have. It is also a day to raise awareness where we live, work and play. The 21st day of the third month was chosen to represent the triplication of the 21st chromosome. That extra chromosome is the exceptionality that is shared by people with Down Syndrome that makes them unique and special. Their capacities are limitless. In my experience, their capacity for love, forgiveness and acceptance and acceptance we could all learn from. So you can show your commitment by rocking your socks today, which is wear a fancy pair of socks or mismatch socks. So I got up this morning, I looked for a pair of mismatch socks. I couldn't find a really fancy pair of socks and then it was, I was on my way to work when I realized I could have actually mismatched them myself. So, but what I do want to say on a serious note is, because there is a really serious part to this is that often people with Down Syndrome are, there's some stigma attached to it. We assume that what we see, we limit what we, we limit what we see when we look at people sometimes and we have to realize that, and get realized that their capacities are limitless and it's important that we communicate that not only by our own self-examination, but by our actions inside our communities. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I'm honored to rise in the celebration of the Cobble Beach Concours Delegance and also the Meeford Scarecrow and Family Festival as both were recently named in the top 100 festivals and events in Ontario. As the members may have heard me mention before, Cobble Beach Concours Delegance is truly a competition of elegance whose story takes back to old French society. What was originally an event of horse-drawn carriages parading through Paris, France has evolved into a pageant of antique cars set on Georgian Bay shores just outside of Owensound. I was happy to have had the opportunity last September to be at the sixth annual Concours Delegance where they hosted a striking collection of antique, classic and international cars at the Cobble Beach Golf Resort. I want to recognize Mr. Willis McLeese who purchased his Bayside land back in 1998 and helped create a vision that finally came to fruition. Well Mr. Joseph Sopisi, CEO and founder of the brand factory and Mr. Rob McLeese, son and CEO and co-creator of Cobble Beach, got together and built what is now the Concours Delegance at Cobble Beach. And Mr. Speaker, like every successful business, this one too contributes to great causes. A portion of every ticket sold goes toward anesthesia machines at Owensound Hospital as well as to Sunnybrook Hospital. Another of my writings very successful festivals, the Meeford Scarecrow and Family Festival wouldn't have reached the success it has without the visionary and founder George Potopnik and the leadership of Marilyn Morris, Mrs. Scarecrow and her organizing committee and volunteers who go above and beyond to decorate every street, light and pole in the community with Scarecrow. Since its inception 20 years ago, this popular family festival has earned multiple recognitions. Finally, I want to recognize those who make these local events happen, are dedicated in heart, working volunteers, sponsors, donors and of course their participants. It is also my pleasure and honor to recognize Carol Parsons of Summer Folk Music and Crafts Festival in George and Bay Folk Society for receiving her well-deserved Volunteer of the Year award from Festival Events in Terrell. Thank you Speaker. Thank you. I thank all members for their statements and I also want the member from Ottawa South to know that I have two pairs of mismatched socks. Reports by committees.