 Member's statements. I recognize the member for Simcoe Gray. Thank you very much, Speaker. It's always a pleasure to speak about the incredible diversity of businesses in my riding of Simcoe Gray. And today I'd like to speak about a startup company that is developing cutting-edge technology to harvest critical minerals from the ocean floor in an environmentally sensitive way. Speaker, our government is committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030, and we're currently 90% of the way to that target. But we won't stop there. We will exceed that target and we will grow our green economy at the same time. The company I'd like to speak about is Impossible Metals, a company that just 11 months ago celebrated the opening of its Canadian headquarters in Collingwood. This month, Speaker, I'm very proud to tell this House that Impossible Metals are in the spot on the prestigious Time Magazine list of America's top 250 green tech companies of 2024, coming in at 119. Impossible Metals is developing an autonomous underwater vehicle that can pick up mineral-rich deep-sea nodules while avoiding microfauna and marine life with the goal of preserving biodiversity and habitat function. And Speaker, this autonomous underwater vehicle will be operating at depths of between one and four kilometers along the ocean floor. I visited Simcoe native Jason Gillam at the Collingwood office last week and he told me the team is in Florida as we speak, preparing to test their Eureka-1 prototype, and they plan to harvest nodules at a depth of one kilometer. Speaker, if these tests are successful, they will begin the design and production of the full-scale autonomous underwater vehicle that will have the capacity to harvest and hold 100 kilograms of nodules from the ocean floor. I want to congratulate the team at Impossible Metals on their remarkable achievements and there can be no doubt that for this company it is the ocean floor and not the sky that is the limit, Speaker. Thank you. Member statements? A member for Kiwetnok. Speaker, I want to congratulate Ansanabe, a talented musician from Sandy Lake First Nation and also from Kiwetnok for winning two Junior Awards this weekend, Songwriter of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year for his album, Here and Now. He is a first Indigenous artist to win either award. Sandy Lake is one of the ancient new nations who gathered at the Anshinu in Inawakumamawichitwin last month, where in unity a declaration was made that we are not Uji Kri. We are the ancient new nation. They call upon all levels of government to respect and recognize us as Anshinu peoples. We speak our language, Anshinimun. We are sovereign and hold rights to self-determination and stewardship over the lands. Our identity and our ways of life is unique. Everyone should go and listen to Ansanabe's first album, Watan. It was named after his grandfather, whose voice you can hear throughout the album. In the album's first track, his grandfather spoke about being sent to Indian residential school at eight years old and about how lonely he was and how he used to cry. He said, I was wondering why I was sent here and I didn't know why. What did I do wrong? Ansanabe, Miigwech, for bringing the voice of the ancient new people to Canada, we are very proud of you. Miigwech. Thank you. Member Statements to Member for Brantford Brant. Good morning, Speaker. I am pleased to speak today about the upcoming Bite of Brant event that will be taking place on April 9th and 10th in the county of Brant. Bite of Brant is a deeply important initiative in the Brantford Brant community that allows Grade 5 students to connect with local farmers and gain an understanding and an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into producing the food that we enjoy every single day. Last year, over 1,000 Grade 5 students had the opportunity to press apples and cider, study planting seeds, compare input food costs, grind wheat to make flour, learn about careers in the agri-food industry, climb onto a tractor and get an up-close look at live farm animals. Agriculture is the number one industry in the county of Brant and Bite of Brant ensures that students are able to engage with the farmers who are not only a vital part of Brantford Brant County's economy and society but are also an essential part of Ontario's prosperity. I would like to extend a thank you to the volunteers and farmers who make Bite of Brant so engaging every single year. Last year, we had just under 130 volunteers who worked tirelessly to keep the event running smoothly. I look forward to attending the 2024 edition of Bite of Brant on April 10th. Thank you, Speaker. Member Statements, the Member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Thank you, Speaker. 10 dollar a day childcare is under threat in this city and I imagine in this province. Recently, parents in my riding whose children attend blossoming minds childcare were informed that as of the beginning of September 10 dollar a day childcare wasn't going to be offered by that centre. And as you can imagine, there's a lot of desperation on the part of parents. I've been contacted by people at Jackman Daycare. I understand the YMCA. A variety of operators are finding that the current funding formula does not work. And that causes huge problems for those operators, but even more profound problems for the parents and the children who are looking at complete disruption of their lives. We're in a situation where people are facing huge pressures around the cost of groceries, around the cost of housing. They do not need yet another headache, actually worse than a headache, huge disruption in their lives. I'm calling on the Premier, Minister of Education, to take steps immediately to address the funding formula so that parents and children can have childcare they can afford. So that people can continue to go to work and so that they can hopefully continue to try and keep their heads above water when it comes to cost of living. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Mississauga Lakeshore. Thank you, Speaker. Recently, I was proud to announce that five organizations in Mississauga Lakeshore have just received almost a half a million dollars through the Ontario Trillion Foundation Resilience Community Fund. This includes $99,000 for the eagle spirits of the Great Waters to support local events and workshops with indigenous elders and traditional healers. Many of these are at the Small Arms Building where Creative Hub 1352 also received $26,000 for their arts, culture and heritage programs. The Canadian Community Arts Initiative also received $71,000 for its programs and events, including South Asian art and heritage festivals of Mississauga. Finally, Speaker, at a time when access to mental health support is so critical, I am proud to report that the District Centre of Greater Toronto received $100,000. Their highly trained volunteers provide emotional support to people in distress every day at their telephone helpline, and this funding will help strengthen this coverage during the critical overnight hours. Lastly, ISNA Canada received $200,000 for a new addiction support program to help workers to work towards long-term recovery for some of the most vulnerable people. Speaker, I want to congratulate all these incredible nonprofits again, and I want to thank them for everything they do every day to support and protect our most vulnerable. On behalf of all the members, we appreciate everything you do here in Ontario. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. Today is Budget Day, a day in Ontario that will impact and affect our communities, our workplaces and schools. Unfortunately, I am afraid that our children will continue to be left on the sidelines again with underfunding and underspending funds which would make a difference and truly leave no child behind. Children are our most valuable resource, and yet they are left to wait for services they need to thrive. Services that, if not accessed within a timely manner, will affect their future and ours. These are the same children that must flourish to have the ability to be our future doctors, educators and, yes, adults. The same adults who will be left to care for us in our senior years. Ensuring there is funding to support children with autism or any special need. Funding for mental and physical health are all in critical need. Extra supports in our schools to assist with the years lost due to COVID restrictions. Meaningful, purposeful supports instead of empty promises and slogans. Budgets are meant to be a lifeline, not a savings account. Today, more than ever, we need a budget that is focused on our children and youth. Let's not lose sight of what needs to be fully funded for our valuable resource to grow and thrive, not just live and survive. Well, today should be no surprise. I am hopeful and optimistic that this year's provincial budget will have real investments for our future, our children. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Mississauga Centre. Speaker, the month of March is a very special month in my riding of Mississauga Centre, as so many of my Muslim Canadian friends and neighbours are observing the Holy Month of Ramadan. The Holy Month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observed by Muslims worldwide and is observed through acts such as fasting, undertaking acts of service and spending time in prayer and reflection. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and practitioners of the faith are called by the Quran to eat and drink until the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the blackness of the night at dawn, then complete the fast until night. And the reason for fasting during Ramadan is to remind Muslims that all individuals are similarly needed upon the assistance of God and that there are less lucky individuals who need their assistance. And I want to speak about one young man. His name is Bieber Khan. He's a staff member part of the Kusendova team and he's been on my team since 2002. And he is currently practicing fasting as part of his religion. And I'm just so proud to have Bieber as part of my team. And even during the election, which happened to be in May, he was door knocking every single day, even at the same time as he was fasting. And I'm so proud of the growth that he has achieved. And there are many Muslims like that in my riding of Mississauga Centre. And for me, as a Christian, it's just so hardwarming to see that we can celebrate together in unity. And that's exactly what Ontario is about. Thank you. And Ramadan Mubarak. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Scarborough Guildwood. Mr. Speaker, I rise here to address a crucial issue for the people of Ontario. Living here is more expensive than ever. People can't afford to pay the rent or make their mortgage payments. Families can't put food on the table. And more people in Scarborough are just living at the food banks, homelessness is up, and there's less good paying jobs than ever before. At the same time, business confidence is at an all-time low. There is a shortage of childcare workers who this government drove away by paying them pennies for profit, nursing agencies and nickel and diamond, the taxpayers and our universities and colleges are underfunded and slashing programs our children rely on. Ontario is supposed to be a land of promise. This is why I migrated here, where anyone can succeed and live a prosperous life. But this government is spending millions on ads during the Super Bowl, on a parking lot for a spa and on lawyers as the RCMP investigates them because of the Greenbelt scandal. We deserve a government that will provide solutions. They deserve a government that will stand up for the people in Ontario. Member Statements, the member for Leeds Grenville, Thousand Islands, Rideau Lakes. Despite snowy conditions, less than ideal weather, I want to thank everyone who came out to my first annual Handshakes and Pancakes Community Breakfast at South Grenville District High School. The Handshakes, well obviously speaker, that's from the politicians. And I want to thank the seven mayors who joined me in a receiving line. I want to thank Mayor Shankar, Burrow, Deschamp, Shaver, Hugenboom, Smith, Gadke and Cameron. The Pancakes, well, I have to tell you, I have a giant sense of pride. An extra special thank you to the South Grenville District High School's hospitality teacher, Chef Brandi Donovan, and her students who came out early in that snowy, snowy storm to both cook and serve stacks of pancakes, sausages and really they did it with a smile. I want to thank them, the local maple syrup was sourced from Sherwood Springs Farm in Mauritown. I want to talk a little bit about those students speaker in my remaining time. They put on over ten dinners in our community for various community organizations. They include Special Olympics Brockville, the Spencerville Optimist Club and local school fundraisers including a $70,000 fundraiser as part of the Relay for Life which we all know supports the Canadian Cancer Society. I was honoured to have them there. They were tremendous ambassadors and the day was so successful. I'm already looking forward to the second annual Handshakes and Pancakes next year. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Brampton North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm from Brampton. These are the words that I say when I meet somebody new and they ask me where I'm from. I say I'm from Brampton. And anybody who said those words and meant them is used to a certain reaction. You know, a slight narrowing of the eyes, a subtle smirk or a brief chuckle. We're used to smug reactions. I'm used to it. But Brampton is a global city. We have the most talented people in the world and we make no apologies for the fact that if you put Brampton minds, Brampton talent against any other city Brampton will come out on top. We're proud of the greatness that our city produces and I would like to share with the House an example of that greatness which is Brampton North's own Kirk Diamond. When Kirk first came to Canada from Spanish town Jamaica in 1994 there weren't a lot of options for people hoping to hear reggae music. In fact, tuning in to DJ Ron Nelson every Friday night was Kirk's only medium of listening to reggae music. Fast forward 30 years to last Sunday where Brampton's own Kirk Diamond won his third Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year with his album Dread, A Collaboration with Finn. As he is once again recognized for his impact on Canadian music Kirk describes his music as a platform to spread a message of unity, inclusion and love and this focus is what led him to being at the forefront of reggae music in Canada. Kirk is proud to call Brampton home and we are proud to claim him. Way to go Kirk, big up. Thank you very much. That concludes our Member's Statements for this morning.