 It is now time for statements by members, the member from Lampden's Kent Middlesex. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the tremendous work being done by Victim Services of Middlesex County, Chatham Kent Victim Services and Sarnia Lampden Victim Services. The vital work of these organizations is made possible by a few staff and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers who provide support and crisis assistance to victims of crime and tragic circumstances. This work demands not only the time of these volunteers who are on call 24-7 but also takes a real emotional toll. I don't think we can thank them enough for the sacrifices they make for the sake of victims and people in crisis. Which is why I also want to take this opportunity to raise my concerns over the restructuring of funding that has taken place without consultation, which is seriously impacting the delivery of victim services in my riding and across rural Ontario. These cuts force victim services of Middlesex County to relocate their office over 40 kilometres away out of the community of Strathroy to the outskirts of London and will prevent volunteers from receiving the training they need to respond to situations involving domestic abuse, assaults and homicide. Speaker, I urge the government to be aware of the consequences of their decisions and the ramifications for a province's most vulnerable people. Thank you. Thank you. Senator Stigmas, the member from Rueling. Thank you, Speaker. I rise today to highlight the plight of the workers and their families across our province who have been forced to resort to severe job action as a result of this liberal government's neglect. In my own riding, nurses and support workers, members of Opsu 294, have been on the picket line now for two months as a result of their employer care partners at for-profit, putting profit ahead of patient care. On Saturday, TACS reached an impasse the first day negotiating in almost two months and the negotiator for the CCAC quoted, I'm a static or the CCAC is a static with the non-unionized work that care partners is now providing. Speaker, an insult to workers and an indictment to the very patients who continue to suffer delays, weightless and impacts the strike has had on them and their families. Crown metal packaging workers have been on strike for 21 months. The foreign company refuses to negotiate a fair settlement, has hired replacement SCAB workers to prolong the dispute and attempt to break the strike. An industrial inquiry was announced months ago without any details of its progress deadline or mandate. I stand in solidarity with these workers and their families today and call on the government to take immediate action and to stop letting corporate greed come before our provinces workers and their hard-working families. Thank you Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise today representing the fine-riding of Newmarket Aurora to recognize June as Italian Heritage Month in Ontario. June was proclaimed Italian Heritage Month in 2010 and today in fact marks 69 years since Italy became a Republic. Italians began arriving in Ontario in the late 1800s, Italian newcomers settled all across Ontario, anywhere they could find a job and they proved themselves in factories as farmers, miners, lumberjacks in construction, in business. In my hometown of King City Italian Canadians began arriving in the 1970s. It was a great time for our little community Mr. Speaker. Our new neighbors brought with them a passion for community that enriched and made our town better. Today there are more than 900,000 Italian Canadians living in Ontario. They formed the largest Italian Canadian population in Canada. During this month we celebrate the achievements of a number of well-known Italians. I'd like to recognize a great Italian Canadian from Newmarket Aurora, Anthony Polano. Anthony was born in Calabria region and immigrated to Canada with his family in the early 1950s. Anthony has achieved success as a painter and as a businessman in Aurora. He's created many great pieces of artwork. His most recent accomplishment is the illustration used in this year's Italian Heritage Month poster. Congratulations, Anthony. And Mr. Speaker, I urge all Ontarians to make the most of Italian Heritage Month by attending heritage events and immersing themselves in this wonderful culture. Grazie a tutti. Members Stavis, the member from Dufferin, Caledon. Thank you, Speaker. It is a pleasure to rise today and remind everyone that this week we are marking Ontario Cider Week here in the province of Ontario and of course today at Queen's Park Ontario Craft Cider Awareness Day. The great news about cider, it is one of the fastest growing categories of beverages sold in the LCBO. The challenge, however, is 80% of all cider sold in the LCBO is imported. It doesn't have to be thus. Ontario cider producers play a vital role to our local communities across the province by using 100% Ontario grown apples and pears to produce their cider on paris. As legislators, I believe we can do more to support Ontario cider producers. That is why later today, I along with Arthur Potts, I'm sorry I can't remember. Beaches East York will be tabling a private member's bill that is entitled Growing Ontario's Craft Cider Industry Act which will ensure Ontario cider receives the same incentives Ontario craft beer currently receives. Ontario cider produce producers deserve that same opportunity. Absolutely. With our support we can encourage this home grown industry. I hope we can all agree and support our PNB later on. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. Today I rise on the 35th anniversary of the Indian military invasion of the Golden Temple also known as Operation Blue Star. The invasion began on June 1st and continued on to June 10th and is one of the most senseless brutal massacres in the history of India. In fact, GK Reddy, famous politician and journalist, refers to this attack as one of the worst examples of the organized killing of innocents by the organized militia might of a nation. In addition to this horrible loss of life, the government made matters worse when they, after completing their invasion, after completing their massacre, set fire to the sick reference library, destroying thousands of original priceless manuscripts. This was an attack not on a group of people but at the heart of a nation. In fact, Tully Mark and Jacob Wright on this on the subject, any army which wants to destroy a nation destroys its culture and that is why the Indian army burnt the library. In addition to this horrible massacre humanitarian aid was denied the victims of this state violence. In addition, 22 children, ranging from ages two to 16, were round up and arrested, deemed dangerous terrorists and it took a petition to the Supreme Court to release them when a judge finally ruled that it was senseless to keep them in custody. The destruction of the sick reference library, the denial of humanitarian aid, and the state violence with respect to the children all point to a deeper insidious purpose of this violation, which was to destroy the sick nation. I stand with friends and families asking, demanding for justice for those who've lost their lives. Thank you. Member Sabers, the member from Sudbury. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on the historical territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit and on the day the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's summary report is released, so it's fitting, Mr. Speaker. The bells at the Anglican church of the Epiphany in my riding of Sudbury have been ringing since yesterday. The bells are ringing, Mr. Speaker, in honor of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. The church located in the downtown core of Sudbury will ring a bell every hour between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday until June 20th and all the bells will be peeled 1,122 times one time for each of the missing or murdered Aboriginal women and girls. The bell is ringing is being carried out to express solidarity with Canada's Aboriginal peoples in their pursuit of justice and their demand for an official inquiry on missing and murdered women and girls. Members of the church of the Epiphany have been recruited to serve as bell ringers over the three weeks as well as members of other local churches, but there is room for the community to at large to participate. The church is asking anyone who would like to volunteer to call the church. Organizers say there is room for 100 Sudburyans to participate, and this is something that affects the whole community, the whole country, Mr. Speaker, for it is only when our voices ring out as loud as these bells will our call for justice be heard and only when our call for justice is heard will there be true truth and reconciliation. Thank you. Member statement, Member from Carlton, Mississippi, Milton. Mr. Speaker, Almont Hospital in my riding has had to lay off nurses. This government has frozen the funding for the Almont hospital for four years. The Almont hospital is well managed and for the first three years was able to find enough efficiencies to balance their budget without laying off any staff while still maintaining the high level of health care that the community of Almont has been used to receiving. But this year that changed. There are no more efficiencies to be found. This year Almont Hospital Management worked with the leaders from QP on a sad task, the task of laying off nine registered practical nurses and replacing them with nine personal support workers with the objective of reducing operating costs. On May 23rd, Linda Melbru, a worker at Almont Hospital and president of QP Local 3022, came to my office with 550 postcards signed by residents of Almont protesting against the funding freeze at their hospital. I hand delivered those 550 postcards to the minister of health this morning. The Almont hospital needs and deserves a funding increase. The government has a responsibility to deliver the necessary funding. It is time for the government to do their job. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Stevens, the member from Kingston in the islands. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell you about an organization that I am a member of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan whose primary goal is to provide educational opportunities for Afghan women and girls. In 2001, 700,000 students were enrolled in school, almost none of them girls. Today, more than 10 million go to school with girls making up 40% in the primary grades. CW4WA builds school libraries and science labs. They train teachers and provide them with lesson plans, textbooks and visual aids. They pay teacher salaries, rent for schools, provide wells, school bags, and have 350 projects across eight provinces. I'd like to recognize a few CW4WA champions, author and founder Deborah Alice, who donates all proceeds from two books she's written about Afghan women, $850,000 to date. Kingston's own Madeleine Terracek and Mark Stewart lead a group of wonderfully dedicated community volunteers, most of them present her retired teachers, who work tirelessly raising awareness and money for this noble cause. No one understands the significance of our support more than fellow CW4WA member, Ren Da, and her husband, retired Lieutenant Colonel Peter Da, whose son, Captain Matthew Da, tragically paid the ultimate price while serving the goals of freedom and democracy in that very place. Mr. Speaker, there's a strong link between education and peace building, and I'm very proud that this courageous charity continues to further tolerance and empower women. Yes, ma'am. Well, thank you. Thank you. Member Stevens, a member from Burlington. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in the house today to recognize the Iron Danes, an amazing group of dedicated women making a difference for those living with cancer in their families in my riding of Burlington. The Iron Danes were founded by the inspirational Kimberly Ann Kieran's pace, a renowned children's speech pathologist. Among her many talents and accomplishments, Kim improved the lives of thousands of children and families with a wide variety of developmental needs before she lost a courageous four-year battle with cancer. To this day, her legacy lives on through the Iron Danes. On Mother's Day, May 21st, with mother nature on their side, the Iron Danes inspired 229 moms to line up at the start line at the sixth annual Lace Up for Love Walk Run. Together, family and friends, along with the Iron Danes, raised an incredible $43,000 towards the Cancer Exercise Program at Wellspring Birmingham Gilgen House, a facility in the Hulton and Peele region offering a wide range of cancer support programs and services to meet the needs, excuse me, to meet the emotional, social, psychological and informational needs of people living with cancer and those who care for them. Recently nominated for a Burlington's best award in the category of community service, the Iron Danes are a truly remarkable group of women triathletes making a difference in our community. I'd like to congratulate them and all of the walkers, runners, volunteers and sponsors who helped make the sixth annual Lace Up for Love Walk Run such a huge success. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you.