 Unfortunately, the time for debate has expired, however, you will have more time when we resume this debate as well as with the question and answer, but it is now time for Member Statements and I recognize a Member from Waterloo. Over the last few weeks, countless constituents have reached out to my office to share their concerns and issues with this government's inadequate third wave response. Between choosing to expand police powers instead of an Ontario-paid sick day plan or shutting down playgrounds and golf courses despite contrary advice from public health experts. It's no wonder that people are frustrated. The science table has been crystal clear about what the government needs to do to slow the spread and keep people safe. Here's their advice. Only keep essential workplaces open. Has the government done that? Nope. But the Region Appeal and City of Toronto have at least stepped up to protect their communities. They've advised to pay essential workers to stay home when they are sick, exposed or need time to get vaccinated. Has the government done that? Nope. Yesterday, the government once again failed to legislate paid provincial sick days in the same week that we saw a 13-year-old girl die from COVID-19. They've advised to accelerate the vaccination of essential workers and those who live in hotspots. Have they done this? Not yet. The science table has also very helpfully told the government what won't work. Any policies that harm or neglect, racialize, marginalize or other vulnerable populations. This government has a blueprint. It's been told what to do and what not to do. So my question to my colleagues in government, why haven't you acted on the science table's advice? The longer you wait, the more Ontario suffers. Thank you very much. Further member statements? I recognize a member from Don Valley North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I reflect on some very important people who make a great difference in the lives of Ontarians every day. There are the public service staff and the reasants who work tirelessly for elected officials and constituents, legislative and the ministry offices all across Ontario. Daily they receive and respond to the needs of Ontarians who reach out to our offices to ask for assistance, information, guidance and support. They gracefully handle a very high volume of phone calls, emails, schedules and the meetings. On top of their routine tasks, the overwhelming amount of inquiry that deals with daily during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding health and safety measures, lockdowns, vaccines, border restrictions and school updates, for example, is truly incredible. Unfortunately, at times they also face the expressed anger and the frustration of the public, which can be challenging and stressful. They work through it all and continue to sign because they genuinely want to help people. Speaker, please join me in thanking all support staff for their incredible patience, kindness and hard work as they continue to help keep Ontarians and the province moving in the right direction. Speaker, they are Ontario's signing stars and their service signs bright. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for their member statement. The member from Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, on the day of mourning, I'd like to stand and speak to essential workers in this province, the moms, the dads, the brothers and sisters, husband and wives that have gotten up every day and went into work to keep us healthy, safe and fed. In the face of this terrible pandemic, risking their own lives to provide for their families and others. As I look across the aisle at this government that has led us directly into the third wave of this pandemic, with our health care system in crisis, I must say, they have not only failed our frontline essential workers, but they've forgotten them entirely. In an anger, I speak to workers every day. They're anxious. They're scared. And honestly, they don't know what they face each day when they go to work. Those workers going in day in and day out were border workers, postal staff, food and grocery staff, and many more deserve better. They deserve to be vaccinated. And for many that do not have benefits, they deserve paid sick days. This government promised to provide North America's best paid sick day plan this week that has turned out to be a myth. We know the message they're giving to workers. We don't care about you. And it took public health officials instead of this government to finally take the lead and close workplaces in outbreak. We know the message you're giving to workers. We don't care about you. This government can call them champions and heroes until you're blue in the face, but their actions speak louder than words. So I'm calling on this government to change direction, to recognize the value and the importance of our frontline workers to our communities, get them vaccinated immediately, and provide Ontario paid sick days. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Mississauga Center. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I had the pleasure to attend Canada Games 2021. And I would like to talk about the important work they do. The next games will occur in Niagara. The residents will enjoy new infrastructures for leisure. It will also create jobs. It will be great for the development in the region. We must thank the Minister of Heritage, Sports and Culture. Those games will also shine a light on Franco- Ontarians. The Franco- Ontarian flag will be seen in front of every building. Every volunteer will wear green in order to represent Franco- Ontarians. Those games wouldn't happen without the great work of those who volunteer. I would like to thank those people who contributed to this success. And I encourage every resident to actively participate. In order to register, you can send an email at volunteer at 2022canadagames.ca. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Next Member Statement, the member for Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. Today I rise to amplify the many voices of small business owners in my riding of Windsor West. Small businesses are the heart and soul of my community. Many have spent the entire pandemic constantly in fear of the permanent closure of the business they have put their entire lives into. They are struggling to make ends meet while anxiously awaiting the government support they were promised to get them through the pandemic. I have spoken to many small business owners. They require funds to pay rent, pay their bills and allow them to open in some capacity, whether that is through curbside pickup, takeout or delivery. They tell me direct and expedient aid is needed in order for them to stay afloat. Ontario's new Democrats have supported small businesses and shared their clear recommendations throughout the pandemic through our Saved Main Street plan, as well as other legislative and policy recommendations. Small business owners have told me the Ontario Small Business Program is flawed. While some businesses have been successful in navigating the complicated process and receive the funding, many more are still anxiously waiting to receive funds or have been outright denied without an appeal process. The scope of the program is too narrow, leaving many of the small business in my community without proper support to continue operations. I wrote to the Minister of Economic Development asking him to immediately reevaluate the program so that more businesses can receive the much-needed funding they deserve to stay afloat and to actually respond to inquiries from business owners and MPPs' offices, which is currently a rare occurrence. I urge this government to rectify this program so that businesses can receive the support they desperately need and were promised. For many, this support will be the deciding factor of whether they can remain open or must close forever. Thank you. Member statements. The Member for Gwell. Thank you, Speaker. Today is the national day of mourning, a day to remember and honour workers who have lost their lives or been injured on the job. This past year has shown a brighter light on the systemic inequities in our economy. Low-wage essential workers, many of them women and people of colour, have experienced a disproportionate burden during the pandemic. I will never forget the PSWs having to wear garbage bags as PPE. Or the workers who have had to choose between their health and the health of their families in going to work and paying the bills. We owe immense gratitude to these workers, and we must treat them like the heroes they truly are. Speaker, this means paid sick days and paid time off to get tested and vaccinated. Prioritizing vaccines for essential workers who can't work from home. Getting medical grade PPE in the workplace. Rapid testing and other measures to ensure that workplaces are safe. Speaker, too many workers have paid too high a price during this pandemic. And I want to offer my sincere condolences to the family members, co-workers and colleagues of those workers we've lost during this pandemic. And it's our obligation to never forget and to take the actions to ensure that workplaces are safe. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member statements? Member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Speaker. Today, April 28th, is the national day of mourning, commemorating workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness on the job. And I want to share a few reflections from my own writing of Eglinton Lawrence. Many people living to this day in my writing immigrated there in the 1950s from Italy. They or their loved ones mainly worked in the construction industry and literally built the city of Toronto that we know today. Unfortunately, many of their loved ones were injured, sometimes very seriously or killed at their place of work as they struggled to earn a living to provide a better life for their families. For many years, I have attended the day of mourning for fallen workers on April 28th at the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial in my writing at the Columbus Centre along with my colleagues ministers Lecce and Tobolo. I've had the opportunity to learn more about the sacrifices made by these individuals from people like Paola Breda and Marino Toppen who have gone to great lengths to document their stories and to keep their memories alive. This has always been a very moving ceremony and I know that the Italian-Canadian community will be back there to remember and pay their respects as soon as COVID-19 is behind us and I will be there with them. Speaker, remembering is important. It makes us reflect on how we got to where we are today and it gives us the knowledge necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. One worker injured in Ontario is one worker too many. Thank you. Thank you. The next member's statement, the member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, because we could all use some good news about some great people doing amazing things, I want to recognize a couple of amazing people. One is Laura Soutar-Hasselou from my area of Windsor-Nessus County. Laura, in response to some pretty vile acts of anti-Asian racism and anti-Semitic and xenophobic actions back home. She took it upon herself to develop lawn signs that clearly state that hate has no home here. There was initially 100 orders for those signs that's now gone national and international. There's over 600 orders for her signs for lawn signs that spread a message of love and acceptance and tolerance. We want to give her a great shout out. She's an amazing leader and we love the work that she's doing. Also, as members would know, April is organ donor awareness month and despite the challenges that COVID faces presents to those who work for our amazing network at the Trillium Gift of Life Network, they're continuing to provide services for donor and family recipients. I want to give them a shout out. Dr. Natalie Maris, my amazing cousin-in-law, Stephanie Nataschak, who is the Organitition Donor Coordinator, special shout out to Janet, Megan, Kelly, Tannis, Kara, Denise, Melinda, Lana and Rochelle. Also, Caden Blair. Caden Blair received a liver donation 18 years ago, Speaker. He just celebrated his 19th birthday. He is an amazing ambassador for organ donation. We know that he's getting a checkup in London right now. We love him. We love his mom, Tammy and Jeremy. Caden, happy birthday from the Ontario Legislature. We're all with you. We wish you the best of health going forward and thanks for being a hero for us. Member Statements, the member for Scarborough Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to bring attention to a wonderful day that is rightly celebrated every year and is very quickly approaching. That special day is Mother's Day. As you all know, I'm a mom to two little ones, Sebastian and Cressida, my one and two-year-old wild angels. And while I'm still in the up all night as your little co-sleeping baby boy kicks you and climbs all over your face, which translates into per my exhaustion on my part, I can easily say that being a mom is the greatest honour and gift of my life. I can also say that my grandmother, Lisa, God rest her soul, was absolutely right. I got it once I became a mom. And what is that? What is it? Everything about my own mom. I understand that our moms play an essential role in raising us and supporting us as we grow in life, that life changes when you become a mom, that people look at you differently and size you up differently, but you persevere and move mountains for your children and your family. I'm very fortunate to have my mother with me to this day, and I realise how much of a blessing it is to have her. My Andre, as I like to call her, Athanasia, Susie, my Discipros, gave birth to me two weeks before her 20th birthday. And since then we have grown up together and she has done everything to give me the best opportunities in life, encouraged me when needed, pulled me down to earth when appropriate, scolded me and banned me when I needed it, and always been my loving cheerleader. She's always put me and my sister before her own needs and she teaches us what it's like to be selfless. Over the past few years, my mom has been the greatest support I could ask for. Being a politician is not an easy job and neither is being a mother, so to be both requires a lot of help, understanding, love and emotional support. My wonderful mom fulfils all of these roles and spades. My hope is that as we continue to move forward in these uncertain times, we will take days like Mother's Day to appreciate our loved ones and cherish them in the best way we can. To all the moms and especially mine, Happy Mother's Day. We love you and appreciate you more than we'll ever be able to put into words. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the Member for Burlington. Thank you very much, Speaker. Mourn for the dead, fight for the living. That's the enduring theme of the Day of Mourning. Speaker, in 1984, the Canadian Labour Congress established April 28 as the Day of Mourning. Eight years later, the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers' Morning Day Act, making April 28 the official National Day of Mourning. Today more than 100 countries across the globe recognize this day. On this International Day of Mourning, we remember workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness as a result of work-related incidents. We honour the many families and friends who have been deeply impacted by these tragedies and we collectively renew our commitment to improve health and safety in every workplace. As we mark the second day of Mourning during the COVID-19 pandemic, we also acknowledge the sacrifices of frontline workers who have died or become ill in their service to the public, Speaker. Speaker, April 28 is also recognized by the United Nations and the International Labour Organization as the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. As much as this day is to remember the dead, it is also a call to protect the living. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. That concludes our member's statements for this morning. Introduction of visitors. I'm pleased to introduce some very special guests who we have with us today in the Speaker's Gallery. We have with us Randell Adjaye, his parents Esther and Falken Zabler, and Rukia Mohamed, as well as Vicky Wittmoll, who is our legislative librarian. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature. I'm very pleased to have you here. And more about Randell Adjaye in a moment. I recognize the Government House Leader. Hi, Speaker. Yes, Speaker, on a point of order, I just want to say that, while the honour of appointing me First Port Laureate is to come to the Government House Leader, I think we would all agree that the member for Windsor to come truly deserves this honour and to thank him for persevering through many parliaments to get to this point here today. He is an incredible member of parliament, and it is an honour to work with him. I am certain that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent that the member for Windsor to come, be permitted to immediately move Government Notice of Motion 108 to provide for the appointment by order of the House of the Poet Laureate of Ontario. Government House Leader is seeking unanimous consent of the House to allow the member for Windsor to come see to be permitted to immediately move Government Notice of Motion 108 to provide for the appointment by order of the House of the Poet Laureate of Ontario. Agreed? Agreed. I recognize the member for Windsor to come see. Good morning, Speaker. I move that in accordance with Subsection 1, Bracket 2 and Section 2 of the Poet Laureate of Ontario Act in memory of Gord Downey, 2019, SO 2019, C16, Randall Adjaye be appointed Poet Laureate of Ontario for a term of two years commencing on April 28th, 2021. Mr. Hatfield has moved Government Notice of Motion No. 108. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carry. I'm going to seek the indulgence of the House to give a brief statement. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Randall Adjaye as Ontario's first Poet Laureate. C'est avec grand plaisir, avec je présente Randall Adjaye. It's my great pleasure to present Randall Adjaye as the first Poet Laureate. The Poet Laureate Act in memory of Gord Downey was passed unanimously by this Legislature in December of 2019. The bill was originally introduced by the member for Windsor to come see, with the goal of creating this position here at the Legislature, while at the same time honoring the late former lead singer of one of Canada's most iconic fans, The Tragically Hip, who sadly passed away in the fall of 2017. The search to find our first Poet Laureate started last fall and came to a conclusion earlier this spring, thanks to the dedicated work of a selection committee that included Vicki Whitmull, Executive Director and Legislative Library, who's here today, Rita Davies, the Chair of the Ontario Arts Council, and David Tabucci, Member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Arts Council, and a former Ontario Cabinet Minister and MPP, and me. We were unanimous in our appreciation for the talent of Randall Adjaye. Mr. Adjaye is a native of Scarborough, Ontario, and he is a spoken word artist, public speaker, and cultural curator. He discovered his gift and love for poetry thanks to the support and inspiration from a grade eight teacher who introduced him to writing as a means for self-expression. Mr. Adjaye further developed his artistic skills in high school. Believing in the power of performance art to strengthen his resilience, he founded RISE, which stands for Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere in 2012 as a safe and inclusive performing arts opportunity to allow youth to express themselves in a positive way. RISE is now one of Toronto's largest and longest running youth initiatives. A member of the League of Canadian Poets, he has performed across the globe and in support of people such as President Barack Obama and Toronto Mayor John Tory. His first anthology, I Am Not My Struggles, was published in 2018. Mr. Adjaye is eager to start his ambitious two-year term as our poet laureate and he plans to be extremely active. In addition to writing poetry, some of his other objectives in the post include creating more social networking opportunities for poets across Ontario, connecting with various regions across the province to host events, when we can, safely, facilitating workshops and performing spoken word poetry while using this platform to link Ontario's diverse communities by weaving poetry into our day-to-day lives. I know that all members will join me in congratulating Randall Adjaye on his appointment. We know that he'll make an extraordinary contribution to the province's literary arts. Je me jointe à toutes les députés et tous les députés pour déliciter. I'd like to join all the MPPs to congratulate Randall Adjaye for his appointment. We know that he will bring an extraordinary contribution to the arts of the province. Randall Adjaye. I beg to inform the House that the following documents have been tabled. A report entitled Explaining the Decline in Ontario's Insolvencies during the pandemic from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario and a special report entitled COVID-19 Preparedness and Management, Pandemic Readiness and Response in Long-Term Care from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. Leader, the opposition has informed me that she wishes to raise a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. Today is the day of mourning and I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the workers who have died, been injured or contracted illness at work, particularly the essential workers and frontline heroes who have struggled throughout the pandemic without paid sick days, adequate PPE, and the protections they need to keep them safe on the job. The opposition is seeking unanimous consent of the House for the House to observe a moment of silence for the workers who have died, been injured or contracted illnesses at work, particularly the essential workers and frontline heroes who have struggled through the pandemic without paid sick days, adequate PPE, and the protections they need to keep them safe on the job. Agreed? Agreed. Agreed. The last members to please rise. Thank you very much. Members, please take their seats.