 is now time for member's statements. I recognize the member from Ottawa Centre. Thank you, Speaker. Earlier this week, a text message from a Russian soldier to his mother who was intercepted. The soldier wrote, we were told we would be greeted with open arms, but they call us fascists. His mother replied, are you still out for military drills? And the son replied, the only thing I want right now is to kill myself. Mom, I'm in Ukraine. This is a real war. I'm scared. We're firing at everyone, including civilians. Speaker, this is the inhumanity of a war that is killing people as I say these words. This war, this invasion of Ukraine, was started by a maniac determined to fight to the last drop of somebody else's blood, including this soldier's blood. We've seen this kind of madness before, and we have the power in this world to say no to it. Here in Ontario, we are not powerless. We can take action. I asked folks in Ottawa to join me this Sunday at 2 p.m. in front of the Russian Embassy, peacefully assembling with the Ukrainian community to demand that Russia end its invasion of Ukraine. Your voice matters. 19 years ago, people all over the world rose up to a looming invasion of Iraq. Canadians, tens of thousands of us, motivated our government not to send troops to that war, which we now know is based on false pretenses. So join us this Sunday. Stand up. Stand with the people of Ukraine. March and rally for peace. Member statements. I recognize a member from Mark Unionville. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today, I'm happy to share about the 2022 Lunar New Year events that I host in February. This virtual celebration welcomed over 250 attendees from across Mark Unionville and Ontario, including our Premier and many of our caucus colleagues, and we celebrated with local performances from the community. Madam Speaker, Lunar New Year brings friends and families together to welcome the new year and all the good fortune it will bring. It brings towards Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and many other communities to celebrate the first new moon of the Lunar Calendar. My writing has the highest concentration of Chinese Canadians in Ontario, and this event highlighted the contributions they make to our community. With such a diverse writing, the actions of this government to promote anti-racism have helped residents feel saver in this province. Mark Unionville's Lunar New Year event was a celebration of the diversity of culture of Ontario and why it is important to fight racism and hate in all forms. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member statements. The Member for Kitchener Centre. Speaker, older adults need more than a plan. They need a vision. I learned that just the other day. I have a podcast that allows me to speak to people from my Writing of Kitchener Centre called People in My Hood, a Philosophical Podcast. And a few Fridays ago, I was speaking to Marcia Smelly and John Lord, who said to me, as much as they see the investments and changes for older adults, not just in the Writing of Kitchener Centre but across the province, what they feel is missing is a vision. What's missing from the work that's happening for older adults is an opportunity to ensure that they can thrive, ensure that they can make choices and be supported no matter what it is that they want to do. And that actually reminded me of my mommy. My mom graduated from York University after completing her first Bachelor of Arts at the tender age of 79, but I say 36 because I like Christmas dinner. And when my mom graduated, I remember how excited she was to realize that there were people that would help her as an older adult achieve the educational successes that she had always dreamed of, but she had to wait for us to be out of the house in order to be able to access. Older adults need to have spaces and places where they can do more, where they can access anything that they want, make their dreams come true and be treated with love, care and compassion that they so deserve. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Markham Thornhill. Thank you. Thank you. The world including Ontario has been experiencing change like we have an experience in decade. According to the recent survey, more than a half of Canadians say they can afford the cost of living. Affordability has become an issue for many families. Inflation rate went up to 5% for the first time in 30 years. Just yesterday, the bank at Canada raised its benchmark interest rate to 0.5% to help combat inflation. The survey goes on to state that Canadian household budget are becoming skewed as a price of food, gasoline and energy crisis. Mr. Speaker, my constituency office in Markham Thornhill often receive cold surrounding the affordability of living. Dreaming of roof over the decades has become a challenge in many people, especially for the younger generation. However, our government have been taking action and using Ontario financial firepower to support the people and businesses in the province, include increasing the minimum wage to $15, eliminating the license plate sticker renewal fee and refund the millions of drivers for fee payments in March 2020, cutting the cost of taking transit with the free ride to and from court transit, $75 million additional funding to support for the electricity cost to live for eligible residents and farm and small businesses. Along with the numerous other initiatives, Mr. Speaker, government spending increased by $16.7 billion compared to last year. This represents the single largest year over year increase in programs spending on record. These initiatives by our government have been welcoming news to all residents of Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member Statements, the Member for Humber River Black Creek. Thank you, Speaker. There is an affordability crisis in Ontario. The cost of everything is through the roof and it's still going up. But even worse, there are individuals, businesses, heck, entire industries who are taking advantage of consumers. We get tricked into buying things we don't need. We get shoddy service or products that we can't return. We're paying for things that have doubled and tripled inexplicably overnight. They're gouging us and reaping major rewards without penalty, but we have nowhere to turn because there is no real consumer protection in Ontario. You call the consumer hotline like over 30,000 did, nothing happens. You go to the ministry, they tell you to get a lawyer. The delegated authorities that exist are more interested in protecting those that they are meant to police. The new Democrats of Ontario have a solution. Bill 77, the Ontario Consumer Watchdog Act, real consumer protection in the form of a consumer protection watchdog who will sniff out consumer abuse and will have the teeth to take real action. We will finally have what we deserve, someone watching our backs and punishing those who take advantage of us. The Ontario Consumer Watchdog Act will be debated in the house next Tuesday, March 8th. I'm calling on everyone in the house to support our bill so that Ontario consumers finally get the respect and protection we deserve. It's long overdue. Let's get it done. Understatements, the member for Chatham-Kent Leamington. Thank you very much, Speaker. Serving as the MPP for Chatham-Kent Leamington now for over 10 and a half years has been many rewarding moments, but perhaps none more rewarding is this. It all started back when I was in opposition. The need for a new children's treatment center in my community was brought to my attention. Even though the purpose and usage of the center in CK had functioned for over 70 years, it became obvious that the current facility had outgrown its ability to properly serve the families and children in my community. The number of children currently in need has climbed to over 3,500 per year, aged from birth to 21 years. But who says perseverance doesn't pay off? I never gave up believing in, advocating for, and pressing for much needed government funding. And then it happened. The government approved partial funding for the estimated $28 million new build complex. The 55,000 square foot facility when completed will shorten waitlist times, improve overall accessibility, and provide increased space for specialized therapy programs. The state of the art facility will support families and children through an integrated model of centralized services. And recently, over $840,000 was given this year to help meet the growing demand for these services in my community. The funding will go along the way in providing services from hearing and speech therapy to autism services, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. In closing, I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. So congratulations to the management team, staff, and the Children's Treatment Center Foundation. For all you've done to help make dreams come true. Thank you very much. Member Statements. The member for Scarborough Rouge Park. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to give a special shout out to all the seniors in my riding of Scarborough Rouge Park. I want to take this time to recognize how active seniors have been throughout the pandemic in looking after each other and keeping themselves involved in our communities. I had the opportunity to meet with seniors in action, a senior group organized by seniors, for seniors that creates new opportunities for them to stay both active, physically and mentally. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to talk and meet and talk with two members, Lydia Quasada and Alicia Swervo. Two active members of seniors in action. And they said throughout the pandemic, these seniors have regularly at 8 a.m. to go on a walk. Mr. Speaker, this is what inspires me. I also had the opportunity to meet with seniors from Frontline Care Community Center, where they engage with each other virtually through innovative programs organized by the Frontline Care Community Center. I must also mention Mr. Ramalingam, a senior leader at 1315 Nielsen Road Building, who has been a champion in helping seniors in his building by engaging with my office and other not-for-profit organizations to bring hot meals and groceries to all the seniors throughout these tough times. And also a big shout out to Mr. Sivalloganathan, Ruchpak Tamil Senior Association, for his leadership throughout the pandemic. Mr. Speaker, I must say engaging with seniors always makes my heart full. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member Svetlana for York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm excited to announce that on January 6th, my daughter Aisha gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Shea. Yes, my first time being a grandfather and having a grandchild pushes our time horizon further into the future. First Nations communities teach us that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world and healthy relationships, seven generations into the future. And in thinking about future generations, I think about the housing crisis, the cost of education, but the biggest crisis of all is the climate crisis. And I'm proud of the NDP's commitment to protecting our environment through a just transition to a green economy, by baking new public sector buildings carbon neutral by 2030, by retrofitting existing buildings to the world's most ambitious retrofit program, by providing subsidies for electric vehicle charging stations and by creating a million green economy jobs through the Green New Deal. Ontario has the capacity to transition to a green economy. Last December, I attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an electric ferry at Billy Bishop Airport, a groundbreaking ceremony for a tall timber building on George Brown campus and the launch of a three-wheeled electric vehicle that's being built and designed in Ontario. We need to nurture this green tech capacity to transition to a green economy. Our future generations are depending on us. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Aurora, Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill. Well, thank you very much. Thank you and good morning to all my colleagues. Speaker, last year I was honored to introduce Bill 271 alongside my good friend and colleague, the member for Carlton. Our bill, which would officially proclaim the month of March as Persian Heritage Month. Speaker, this bill received unanimous consent in the House, so I want to thank all my colleagues on both sides of the House for supporting this bill. This is significant for the Persian community, Speaker, because it officially celebrates our culture and heritage right here in our province. It was an honor to bring this bill forward to recognize the important contributions Persian Ontarians have and continue to make in our province. The nearly 200,000 Persian Ontarians make the largest concentration of Persian people in the entire community right here in our province. And since 1970, Speaker, Persians have played an important role shaping the economic, political, social and cultural landscape of our province. Persian culture and history is among very few others around the world, Mr. Speaker, to have thousands of years of history and tradition. And Persian people have been at the center of countless empires, trade routes and cultures for centuries. The resilience and unwavering commitment to helping others is what makes this community so special, Speaker. And as we celebrate Persian Heritage Month, I want to encourage everyone here in the legislature and those watching at home to learn and engage more with our culture and learn about the history. I'd like to thank the entire Persian community for all they have done for the province and for the support that they have provided us and particularly the last two years, Mr. Speaker. They have made this province a better place for all of us and I'm excited to watch this community grow and achieve great things. Thank you very much, Speaker. I don't know if we're on Mahe March, Mahe Khubbi, Parehame Vashay. Thank you. Member Stevens, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this very moment, the Ontario Medical Association estimates about 21 million backlogged healthcare services, including life-saving surgeries, doctors visits, diagnostic tests. And while almost a million people continue to live with pain and anxiety and uncertainty, this government is refusing to adequately fund hospitals and community clinics. Ontarians have been driven into fear, fear of not getting needed healthcare services on time, fear of hospitals and clinics not having the capacity and staffing levels to address the backlog, fear of not being able to protect the health and well-being of our loved ones, fear for their very own survival. Maria, a constituent in my riding of Davenport, shared her fears with me. She wrote to me that she is afraid because our healthcare system has been underfunded for generations and it's about to break. Maria comes from a family of nurses and she worries about the dangerous staffing levels and our healthcare system's lack of capacity to address even our immediate needs. We have to do better. Catching up on the backlog is going to take years. The Financial Accountability Office estimates three and a half years to clear the surgery backlog and over three years to clear the diagnostic procedures backlog. And this is assuming that hospitals operate above pre-pandemic levels. We need funding urgently. So I'm calling on this government. Please listen to the advice of the Financial Accountability Office and provide the $1.3 billion needed to clear the backlog patient services now for Maria and so many others like her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is that the last statement? That's the last one.