 It's now time for our member statements, the member for Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I had the pleasure of welcoming the leader of the official opposition to my riding of Kingston and the Islands. We met families who are concerned about the hallway medicine crisis in the Kingston area. These are everyday people who have done everything right, Mr. Speaker. They work hard and they contribute in so many ways to our community. Fundamentally, they deserve good health care and access to timely primary care when they need it. But in Kingston and across Ontario, far too many do not have it when they need it. Too many people are waiting years to access primary care or get a family doctor. In Kingston, the situation is so bad that our City Council passed a resolution asking the Ontario Government to address this issue. We have heard from community members who are waiting years to see a specialist or to get access to a family doctor. Others who drive for hours because they are too scared to give up their previous doctors in cities far from Kingston, as this would mean going on the wait list, which is years long. One person in Kingston and the Islands without a family doctor is one person too many. And for too long, the reality of this lack of primary care was ignored in my riding. I plan to work with all local stakeholders to build a sustainable and long-term solution to the doctor's shortage in Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements. Remember for Etobicoke Lakeshore. Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to highlight some exciting news in my riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore that demonstrates how Ontario is open for business. I had the pleasure of attending the signing of an agreement between Bruce Power and Kinetrix, which is an international company in the electricity-based industry based out of Etobicoke Lakeshore. These companies are collaborating in a production of medical isotopes, which further promotes Ontario's role as a world leader in this innovative field, which is at the forefront of medical research. Bruce Power is currently a significant global supplier of Cobalt 60, a medical isotope used to sterilize equipment in hospitals to treat brain tumors and to assist in the fight against cancer. Global demand for these life-saving isotopes is growing, and Ontario has the infrastructure and the expertise to meet that demand. The collaboration between Kinetrix and Bruce Power will help build on Ontario's nuclear advantage. The work these innovative companies are doing will provide good, paying local jobs in Etobicoke. It will also help to expand a reliable and long-term source of medical isotopes, providing worldwide access for years to come at a time when the world is facing a global shortage. I'm proud to bring forward this announcement, which signals to the rest of the world that Etobicoke and Ontario are indeed open for business. Member Statements to Member for Niagara Falls. We shouldn't be allowed to use those three words during Member Statements. Crohn's Awareness Month. Mr. Speaker, November is Global Crohn's Awareness Month. Well, I realize this is not the most exciting topic, especially given what the government is going to announce today. This is a very important topic. Kinet has one of the highest rates of Crohn's disease in the world, and it's growing fast. There are over 100,000 Ontarians living with Crohn's disease. About as many people as Type 1 Diabetes and Epilepsy. By 2030, almost 1% of the Canadian population will live with Crohn's disease. The consequences of Crohn's disease are serious, including premature death and bowel cancer. Many people live with anxiety and depression. Crohn's disease has serious implications for the people's quality of life. Mr. Speaker, Ontario live in rural and underservice areas like Niagara are less likely to be cared for by a gastroenterologist. I hope I said that. Studies have shown time and time again that patients cared by a gastroenterologist have better outcomes, including lower risk of surgery and hospital. Many people across the province read public coverage for prescriptions. People on social assistance, single moms, single parents, lower income families are struggling to access newer medication. These newer medication proved the ability to participate with their family, their community, and our workforce. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take today to acknowledge Ontarians living with Crohn's disease and pledge to make Crohn's a health priority in the province of Ontario. Thank you. Thank you very much. Member Statements, the member for Markham Union. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recently attended a business showcase presented by Self-Employment for Persons with Disabilities Program which was supported by both Job Skills Canada and the Ontario Tremont Foundation. I had the opportunity to visit booths which were filled with passionate and engaged entrepreneurs with interesting products and spoke to them about their ambitions. The Self-Employment for Persons with Disabilities Program trains individuals with disabilities on how to start their own business and help them become more financially self-reliance. Not only does this program benefit to these participants with excellent business training and assistance, but it also provides individuals with disabilities an opportunity to express their creativity in a way that contributes to our diverse community and economy. Mr. Speaker, our government has supported this initiative through the Ontario Tremont Foundation and hope to continue supporting similar projects as they provide Ontarians with disabilities opportunities to participate in our economy in a unique and meaningful way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Statements, the member for London North Centre. I'm proud to rise today to recognize Shine the Light, a campaign by the London Abused Women's Centre to stand in solidarity with abused women and help them understand that shame and blame belongs not to them, but to perpetrators of abuse. This campaign now is in Windsor and reaches as far as Sweden and Australia. This year we remember Madison Fraser, a two-time national boxing champion who planned on becoming a nurse. Madison was lured into the sex trade and she died in a car crash driven by someone who had purchased sex. Madison's mother, Jennifer Hallman, has started the Madison Fraser Society to help survivors of human trafficking. We also recognize Shani Chalk, who's courageously shared her story as a victim of revenge porn after an intimate partner shared her private pictures online along with her name, social media handles, and more. She's an amazing individual who didn't let a horrible person define her and now shows girls and women how to be strong and overcome. Well done to Shani. We have great community agencies in London that support abused women and initiatives like these are more important than ever. Regressive Conservatives cut the expert committee on violence against women. Regressive Conservatives cut consent and health education which empowers children against predators. Today we expect to hear the regressive cut of the Ontario Child Advocate who protect vulnerable children. Let's put it all together. This government has cut committees to protect women but expanded alcohol sales, cut education to empower children but expanded pot sales. Soon the cut of the Ontario Child Advocate and independent authority to protect children. Speaker, you might ask yourself who benefits from this. This government needs to change their ridiculous highway signs and tell the truth. Ontario is open for predators. I'm going to ask the member to withdraw. I'm going to ask the member to withdraw. I withdraw. He withdrew. Order. Order. Member statements. Member for Whitney. Thank you. The Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services celebrating its 100th anniversary. And it's milestone speakers an opportunity to recognize the past, celebrate recent achievements and share its vision for the future of mental health care. Ontario Shores Speaker provides leadership to health care providers, community partners, policy makers and social sectors to strengthen and advance the mental health care system. Ontario Shores embraces the opportunity to raise awareness of mental illness, educate health care practitioners and train Speaker the next generation of mental health specialists. Speaker as advocates and Ontario Shores champions and supports the efforts of patients, professionals and policy makers to ensure individuals with mental illness have the access to care and the opportunity to fully participate in society. Speaker, congratulations to the Board of Directors and staff on their 100th anniversary. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member across the way for shouting out my daughter, Julie Bissell who is a nurse practitioner at Ontario Shores and very proud to work there. Member statements. The Member for York South West. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise today to speak on the issue of unemployment and underemployment in my community of York South West. As the October jobs numbers indicate unemployment in York South West is well above the national and provincial average. Youth unemployment is higher still and it continues to rise but it strikes me that these numbers don't tell the full story because the Ford Conservative Government's disrespect for workers and their rights means that even those who are employed will be less able to provide for their families. Freezing the minimum wage will mean less food in the fridge. Making a way paid sick days will mean parents unable to care for sick children and forcing people to prove that they are sick or that they have lost a loved one will result in real pain for families when they are already struggling. We need to understand that statistics are not just numbers. They represent real people and a job is not just a job. Rather a job is the pride of being able to provide for one's self and one's family. It is the dignity of equal pay and benefit for equal work and it is the hope for a better future. Taking pride in good work is good for business. Dignity is good for business. Hope is good for business. It is that Bill 47 that is so bad for business in Ontario. Thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you Member Statements. The Member for Ottawa South. Thank you very much Mr Speaker and this Monday Hospice Palliative Care Ontario will be here at Queen's Park. I know they've reached out to many members. There's many new members in this house. I hope that you've taken a meeting with them and if you haven't I really encourage you to do that and also to be at the reception that evening. I had the good fortune in the last government of spending four years working on the hospice and palliative care file and it's something that unites us all. We all know that we have to do a better job for caring for people at the end of their lives. We have to come together as a community. You know we do a really great job at the beginning of life. The schools are ready, the nurseries are ready, the community is all ready for when we come into this world. But when we leave, not so much. So the end of life deserves the same kind of attention as we give to the beginning of life. And I know in many of your communities there are hospices and palliative care agencies that deliver services and I encourage you very much to meet with them and help them to ensure that they get the support that they need. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I have ordered the Member for Timmons. I would like to give a shout out to our Sergeant at Arms for being very tactful. Thank you very much. She is indeed Member of Statements. The Member for Markham Thornhill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out of concern for a growing political crisis in Motherland in Sri Lanka. Many of us through one generation or more are the son and daughter of immigrant to Canada. In my own riding of Markham Thornhill exists the most ethnically diverse community in Canada. Many of our ethnic residents are closely connected with their Motherland. Many share the hardship and suffering of family and friends and loved ones through civil violence and government repression. I flood Sri Lanka for fear of my life and arrive as a political refugee to Canada in 1983. Mr. Speaker, my brother, a member of parliament and local critic of the government on human rights was brutally stabbed. He was in a coma for 90 days but survived but later he resigned his empty position and left Sri Lanka. Mr. Speaker, last year my sister-in-law, a teacher, was murdered while sleeping. Sri Lanka emerged from a long and violent civil war in 2009 with a new leadership in place. Many of us were hopeful a new Iraq had emerged in Sri Lanka but recent development may prove otherwise. Mr. Speaker, many fear this political crisis may be a result in history repeating itself. For this reason it becomes apparent that during this current unrest members of civil society including journalists, activists and human rights defenders in Sri Lanka be protected from threat of intimidation and violence so that they will full exercise their rights. I hope that Sri Lanka can become a place where my family and minorities' ethnic can live peacefully and enjoy similar rights and freedom that we Canadians enjoy. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Your statements to the member for Brampton West. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I want to raise an important issue in Brampton, safe working environment and dignity of workers. Our progressive conservative government for the people has been a strong advocate to improving the quality of lives of Ontarians by strapping unjust taxes thereby putting more money in people's pockets and promoting the creation of good-paying jobs while protecting workers. Mr. Speaker, today I stand here to speak about the issues faced by honour operators at CN Rail in Brampton. Almost 300 hard-working truck drivers have been protesting due to their working conditions in lacking something so fundamental as access to a clean bathroom. Mr. Speaker, I cannot overstate how important truck drivers are to the Brampton's economy and to Ontario as a whole. These men and women undergo long hours diligently to ensure the safe, timely transportation of goods and products around the province. Without truck drivers, our economy would grind to a halt and it is important that we stand up for these vital workers. Mr. Speaker, I offer my full support to all hard-working truck drivers across the province and I call on CN Rail in Brampton to listen to their concerns and take immediate action. Thank you Mr. Speaker. That concludes our time for Member Statements.