Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Report continued from volume A.

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Private Members’ Public Business

Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2023 / Loi de 2023 sur les prix Murray Whetung pour services à la collectivité

Mr. Dave Smith moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 31, An Act to provide for an award for exceptional cadets / Projet de loi 31, Loi prévoyant la remise d’un prix aux cadets exceptionnels.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to standing order 100, the member has 12 minutes for his presentation.

Mr. Dave Smith: It’s actually quite an honour today to do this. I introduced this bill during our last session. It was about a little over a year and a half ago that I introduced it, and the reason we did it when we did—and some of the parameters around the bill itself when we did it—was because Mr. Whetung himself had recently been diagnosed with cancer and we wanted to try and get this completed before he passed away. Unfortunately, Mr. Whetung passed away last February and he didn’t get to see this bill pass. I’m hopeful that today we’ll be able to move forward with it once again, because I think that it’s one of these things where, if we don’t talk about it, if we don’t tell the story, then we will forget.

I grew up in Prince Edward county, very close to Deseronto. I had a number of friends from the time at the Tyendinaga reserve as a kid and I didn’t know some of this history. I think that, as somebody who has been close to a number of First Nations individuals for a period of time, I probably am a little bit more aware of some of these things than others who grew up in urban centres or others who didn’t grow up anywhere near a First Nation.

One of the things that I discovered as I was going through the background on this is that during the First and Second World Wars there were more than 7,000 First Nations individuals who voluntarily joined the Canadian Armed Forces. They were exempt from conscription. And the reason that anyone who was Indigenous was exempt from conscription was because, at the time, they weren’t considered Canadian citizens. It wasn’t until they got the vote in the 1960s that they became Canadian citizens.

I’m 53 now. I didn’t know that. Our country is more than 150 years old and, to me, that is a slight that needed to be adjusted, that needed to be corrected.

There were a number of First Nations veterans who weren’t permitted to go in a Legion until the early 1980s because they weren’t considered Canadians. And probably the biggest injustice on all of this was that at the time, because of how the Indian Act was, if you were off reserve for more than four years, you lost your status as an Indian. We have a number of First Nations veterans who served overseas, who voluntarily put their life on the line to protect this country, and they were overseas for more than four years fighting for freedom for Canada. And what did Canada do? It stripped them of their status as Indians.

As I said, I’m 53. I grew up near Deseronto, but I never heard these stories and never knew anything about this. And when we talk about truth and reconciliation, there are all kinds of things that can be done; there are all kinds of things that should be done. But what absolutely should be done is to be reminded of these injustices. And we don’t have to take it as something that is completely negative. That’s why the bill was named after Murray Whetung.

Murray did not lose his status; Murray volunteered. He was one of 100% of the eligible men in Curve Lake who volunteered for the Second World War—100%. They didn’t have to, and they weren’t treated very well. Murray was actually scheduled to be part of the D-Day invasion. He was a communications specialist. His job was to make sure the communication lines, from the front line to the command, stayed intact. They would work at night under the cover of a tent to fix communication lines because the Germans would see them if they were working in daylight or if they were working with lights over where they were fixing the lines, and the Germans would try to shoot them to make sure that there was no communication from the front lines to the back. So this was something that he actually was—he wasn’t standing there with his rifle shooting back at the Germans, but he was there with one or two others repairing those communication lines to make sure that there was constant communication from the front line to those who were making the decisions. He put his life on the line every single day that he went out there because the Germans did not want those communication lines to be back up and running.

Now, he did not serve four years overseas in one term. He did come back to Curve Lake and went back overseas afterwards, so he’s not one of the individuals who lost his status. But he was mistreated multiple times when he came back: He wasn’t allowed into the Legion. He wasn’t allowed to wear his medals. He wasn’t allowed to wear his uniform.

He worked for Veterans Affairs at the time after he had come back, trying to fix some of these injustices. But what he did, not only for the community of Curve Lake but for the greater Peterborough community—Murray was known as someone who always stepped forward and volunteered. He always helped. Whenever something needed to be done, Murray was the guy who was there to do it. And the reason he did was because he said, “Part of what you do is you give back to the community that gave back to you.” He was very big on volunteering.

As we were going through the process of this bill, it made sense to me then to take a look at creating an award for cadets, because we have 269 cadet corps or squadrons across Ontario. These are young individuals, males and females, who join, who want some of that camaraderie, who give back to the community. They go through a lot of learning in cadets, and we’ll hear from some former cadets. I am a former cadet myself; I was a sea cadet.

A lot of what they do is learning to become leaders, and these youth will become some of the leaders that we will have moving forward. If we can convince them of the values of giving back to your community for the sake of giving back to your community, the values of volunteering—all of those things that Murray espoused—we will have better young leaders.

When we reached out to the cadets about this, they were actually very excited about the concept of it, because right now, the way that all of the awards work for cadets—it’s cumulative, so the vast majority of the awards that cadets give out are for the senior cadets. They’re not for junior cadets. This award would establish an award that’s given out on a yearly basis at their annual review, and it would be based on the cadet in each corps or squadron who volunteered the most, who gave the most back to their community—not just in their cadet corps, but they could also take into account other things they did.

So if they volunteered through school, if they volunteered with a sports team, if they were doing some of the other things in the community, not just as a cadet, but giving back to the community, talking about citizenship, talking about volunteering, talking about and espousing the things that Murray had espoused, they qualify for the award. And it opens it up, then, to any cadet. Whether they’re an ordinary cadet or whether they are a petty officer or a warrant officer, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been in cadets. It only matters that they value giving back to their community.

When we reached out to the Anishinabek Nation about this, I met with Deputy Regional Chief Mel Hardy on this. He thought it was a fantastic initiative, and we had a lot of different conversations about it.

I want to give a quote from the Anishinabek Nation: “This important bill recognizes the sacrifices and contributions made by one of our greatest Anishinabek warriors and highly decorated service member, the late Murray Whetung. The Murray Whetung bill will also help support and recognize the significant commitment made by all Indigenous people, both past and present, who have honourably served in the Canadian military on behalf of Canada. Most importantly, this proposed bill, once passed, will ensure that the service and protection of Canada by the Indigenous people will never be forgotten, and their stories will remain an important part of Canada’s military history and legacy.”

That was the from the Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief, Reg Niganobe. I apologize, Reg, if I mispronounced that the first time I said that.

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We’ve done our homework on it. We have support from cadets for it. We have support from a number of different First Nations veterans. We have support from the Anishinabek Nation on this, specifically the veterans’ committee. When we were meeting with the veterans’ committee, one of the things that came out was, they recognized that they weren’t considered Canadian citizens at that point, but if you look at the treaties, the treaties were all done nation to nation. In First Nation culture, your ally is your friend. Your ally is someone you stand with. Your ally is someone who, when they ask for help, you give them help, and that is part of the culture.

So, when Canada went to war, when the First and Second World Wars happened—it wasn’t just Canada that was at war; obviously it was also the United States and others—the reason that so many First Nations men volunteered was, it was their responsibility. It was their duty because their ally was in need and their ally needed help. They had the ability to help, so they stepped up and helped.

The injustice that we did as a country by stripping some of them of their status, it’s wrong. I “can’t go back and change the beginning,” to quote C.S. Lewis, but I can start today and write a new ending, and by passing this bill, we can tell those stories and we can make sure that no one forgets that injustice. We can celebrate the fact that so many of those individuals gave back to their community, gave back to Canada after they were treated so poorly, and recognized that the act of giving back is where the great value is.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: My thanks to the member for Peterborough–Kawartha for bringing forward Bill 31, the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2023. I’m thankful that the member did decide to bring back this piece of legislation. I know he had introduced it in the previous Parliament and, with the dissolution of the Legislature, he was able to now, in this new Parliament, bring it back.

I’m thankful for his advocacy on this important issue. There are so many different components of it, but I think a couple of the ones that he spoke about very passionately and eloquently in his speech are the great debt of gratitude that each and every one of us owes to all veterans and especially to those Indigenous veterans who stepped forward in that time of need in remarkable ways at a time when the nation did not recognize or accept them as worthy to be called Canadian, which is just absolutely unimaginable today, but also I think a testimony to the need for healing that each and every one of us has a part to play in bringing forward in that journey of reconciliation.

Secondly, speaking to the value that the cadet corps bring to so many communities in this nation. I’ve had the opportunity to serve as an air cadet, and I say that, recognizing that there are many, many people, probably even in this chamber, who got the opportunities to go and visit some of those reviews, some of those local cadet corps. You think of the army cadets, the air cadets and the sea cadets and the different disagreements between those corps and the friendly rivalries, and I know I’ve had some discussions about that with some members even here in this place.

But I think about the cadet corps that I was in, 62 Phantom Squadron, a cadet corps that had been very active during the 1940s and 1950s in the Grimsby area and in Hamilton-Wentworth, which was dissolved and was brought back to life in the early 2000s through the leadership of some local people who really saw that benefit of community volunteerism and engagement that the cadet corps could bring.

I just want to pay tribute to 62 Phantom Squadron and the whole team. I think especially of Major Leonard and those who exemplified community leadership, who took so much time out of their lives to volunteer, whether that was with bringing forward poppy drives or whether that was supporting local bottle drives for different organizations, whether that was assisting with different fundraising efforts for local teams, whether that was even helping out with parking at local fairs. There are so many ways that my time at 62 had an incredibly positive impact on me.

Actually, the other day, I was just looking back at some video that my father recorded. One of my very first public engagements in terms of speaking was with the air cadet corps. I was in the air cadet public speaking competition. I was in their drill team, which helped teach me discipline and taught me about the value of teamwork and working together with people to really deliver an incredible product.

I think that the value of having an award such as this named after someone who is a hero also in terms of his almost anonymity—I have to be very frank; I had never heard of Murray Whetung before the member opposite brought forward this bill. He wasn’t someone, perhaps, who ended up on a coin or someone who was on a stamp, but he’s someone who exemplifies that determination to give back in any way possible to his community, someone who was willing to step forward in the time of need that Canada had and to answer that call. I think that when I look at the cadets whom I had the privilege of serving with and I see now, some 10, 11, 12 years later or something like that, where they are in service to their communities, I’m thankful for the opportunity to support legislation like this that will recognize those future leaders and will recognize those who have stepped forward in remarkable ways to give back in their time with the air cadet or army cadet or sea cadet programs.

So I want to thank the member for bringing this forward. It brings back a flood of memories, of good memories on parade nights, of interesting memories when you’re on field training exercises in the rain and trying to make sure you get through some of those exercises and calisthenics in the morning—but also just gratitude for the people who stepped forward in remarkable ways.

I look back and I think of some of the people who might have been able to be eligible for an award like this and who, I think, it would have meant a great deal to if they had been able to achieve those awards. They’re some of the proudest moments of a cadet’s life, when they’re on that annual review stage. I think most of us probably have had the opportunity to attend those reviews as reviewing officers, which is a great privilege and honour. But as a cadet, to stand there at attention, your shoes shined, making sure that you don’t have a crease anywhere on your uniform, knowing that your commanding officer will come through the hours before and be sure to tell you off if your hair was cut not just right over the ears—but to be able to then see your name called out, as well, when these awards are brought forward as an acknowledgement and vindication of the hard work that goes into that is an incredible moment and one that I saw myself, and many friends I made in the air cadets corps experience. So I’m thankful that because of the hard work of the member opposite, we’re going to see more of that. I look forward to supporting this legislation at all of its stages and, hopefully, seeing it become law in the very near future.

My thanks to Murray Whetung and his entire family, those who gave so much, and my thanks to the member opposite from Peterborough–Kawartha for bringing forward this bill to recognize cadets and the important work they do.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I’m honoured to rise to speak about private member’s Bill 31, Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act. It does not happen nearly enough that we’re able to commemorate and honour the work and service of the military service members in Canada.

The award is named for Chief Murray Whetung of Curve Lake First Nation. Murray Whetung was a 99-year-old World War II veteran and grandfather of current Curve Lake elected Chief Emily Whetung. This bill, Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2023, is a testament to the outstanding service of Murray, a dedicated member of Ontario’s communities. Murray served in various roles for the past two decades, including volunteering with compassion and pride, mentoring youth and organizing charitable events. His commitment to serve and dedication to the community has been an inspiration to all of us here.

It is an honour to support this bill. It is an honour that this bill will be honouring World War II veteran Murray Whetung’s extraordinary overseas service, which has been well documented. Murray was part of two signal corps laying the advanced communication lines, part of an allied campaign in Europe during World War II, serving in the UK and France, and was the last remaining Curve Lake veteran of the Second World War; he passed away, unfortunately, two years ago. We will honour him.

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On behalf of my colleagues in this chamber—and while I cannot speak for everyone, I am operating under the belief that there will only be support—I want to thank Murray Whetung for his military service and sacrifices.

Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not applaud one of the other cultural and important considerations of this bill: the fact that it honours and commemorates the considerable contributions and sacrifices of the First Nation members, Métis, Inuit—every indigenous recruit who voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces. It honours the memories of both their sacrifices and their mistreatment. Over 3,000 First Nation members volunteered for World War II.

While recognizing the First Nation individuals who served had received the injustice of losing their status for being off reserve and serving in war, the sense of giving back to the community persisted. The Murray Whetung Community Award Act establishes an award for cadets. It is a deserving honour for an individual, for a deserving organization.

For over 140 years, the cadet program has been a cornerstone in Ontario. The program’s mission is to build character, leadership and citizenship in young people. Niagara has a fantastic cadet organization in the 126 Flying Lancers Air Cadets, Niagara Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps and within the 68 Lincoln and Welland Regiment Royal Canadian Army Cadets Corps.

In my own community, in St. Catharines and Niagara, I have always made an effort to attend their annual inspection day. It is there that I see our cadets program making a positive impact on the lives of Ontario’s youth. While the age range is from 12 to 18, I see the differences it makes in instilling the values of volunteerism and the sense of community. I see what fruit bears in my community from the cadet program. Every D-Day and Remembrance Day, when I travel to cenotaphs, to legion halls across my riding, in Merritton, Port Dalhousie, the Polish Legion and downtown, I see our cadets lined up, orderly and giving back. They raise money, give back, and while they create their own community, they enrich the broader community as well.

This work happens because of the volunteers and the mentors, and it is fitting to have this award be named after a service member who has done both for so long. Both this award-naming and this legislation will have my support, and along with my time to speak to this legislation, I bring with me the support of the entire Ontario NDP caucus. This is because the spirit and the individual that inspired this private member’s bill deserve the honour, and because the exceptional young cadets that work hard in cadet programs across my community, your community, Ontario and in Canada—the ones that serve their community—deserve to strive to the ideals set out by Murray Whetung.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I’m pleased to rise in support of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2023, and I want to thank the member from Peterborough-Kawartha for introducing this very important act. I think it’s going to inspire future generations of cadets to continue on with their service, their volunteerism, their citizenship across this province, and to set in stone the fact that they’re never too young to make a difference—the fact that we sent people to fight for this country’s freedom at a very, very young age, and the fact that we have young cadets that are going out there bravely to serve voluntarily through their communities.

In Barrie, we have a few cadet leagues. We have the 2919 Grey and Simcoe Foresters Royal Canadian Army Cadets, we have Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps 53 Barrie and we have 102 Barrie Silver Fox Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron. I want to thank all those cadets for their service—always coming out to different community events—and I’m inspired by the fact that they may be eligible for the Murray Whetung Community Service Award, which will forever codify Murray Whetung’s community service that he gave back in his day and forever honour our First Nations communities.

So I want to thank the member for introducing this bill, and I wholeheartedly support it on behalf of the residents of Barrie–Innisfil.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: Today we are here to speak to the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act in support of our colleague the member from Peterborough–Kawartha. Thank you for proposing this bill.

This bill will allow for an annual service award named after the great Murray Whetung to be given to a deserving cadet in every local Royal Canadian Air Cadet corps, Royal Canadian Army Cadet corps and Royal Canadian Sea Cadet corps in Ontario. The chosen recipient must demonstrate exceptional citizenship and volunteerism within their community and their corps, just like Mr. Whetung did himself.

So a little bit about Murray Mackenzie Whetung. Born and raised in Curve Lake First Nation, he enlisted in the army in 1942 at the age of 20. By 1945, he was being sent overseas to France as a lineman. He returned to live in Curve Lake First Nation and was married to Elva “Cobe” Taylor. They had 13 children.

I always enjoy hearing stories of inspiring and brave people like Mr. Whetung—a true hero. And to think he volunteered—that is a true hero. This bill is a great way to honour him and to continue his legacy as well as honour the immense contributions of all First Nations during the war.

Il faut que vous compreniez que ce projet de loi, c’est pour les cadets, et je pense que c’est un bon projet de loi. C’est pour ça qu’on le supporte. Mais quand on parle des Premières Nations—M. Whetung était des Premières Nations et il s’est démontré dans la guerre, puis aujourd’hui on le reconnaît. Mais on oublie que dans les Première et Deuxième Guerres mondiales, il y a eu beaucoup de Premières Nations qui ont sacrifié, et qui ont participé aux guerres. C’est une belle initiative pour reconnaître ça.

On est dans un temps de réconciliation. On est dans un temps où on commence à reconnaître les injustices envers les Premières Nations. Trop souvent on a vu dans l’histoire—on reconnaît aujourd’hui ce que les Premières Nations ont vécu, comment on a traité les Premières Nations. Quand on pense qu’on leur enlevait des droits, même s’ils avaient été en guerre, on devrait avoir honte comme pays. Mais, comme mon collègue a démontré, on ne peut pas réparer les torts du passé; on peut juste essayer d’améliorer les conditions présentes pour reconnaître les efforts qu’ils ont faits.

Puis avec les cadets, je pense que c’est une très belle initiative. Pourquoi? Parce que cette initiative va démontrer aux cadets que les cadets doivent—puis on sait que les cadets font tellement de volontaire, qu’ils font tellement de belles choses dans la communauté. On le sait. Durant les jours du Souvenir, ils sont toujours là. Ils sont là à faire des levées de fonds.

C’est un honneur de les voir, honnêtement. Ça donne tellement de belle valeur à la jeunesse. Des fois, on dit : « Où est-ce qu’elle s’en va, notre jeunesse? » Je peux vous dire que notre jeunesse, elle va du bon pied. Les cadets, que ça soit de l’air ou de l’armée, de terre ou de « navy », comme on dit en anglais, ils sont bien représentés. Notre jeunesse est forte, et on devrait être fier de notre jeunesse.

These various cadet corps have a great impact on the development of our youth and it is important for us to recognize their efforts and dedication as well. These programs develop great skill sets, build confidence and instill responsibility and duty to all who attend. Cadets develop a great sense of community and, throughout their commitment, give much of their time as volunteers. This can also be a stepping stone to moulding and shaping the new generation of soldiers for our country.

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May his dedication and story inspire others who are currently serving our country or those who are about to. It is because of men like him that we have the freedom we do today, and we must forever be grateful.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Mr. Lorne Coe: This bill is particularly timely in many ways, as together we renew Ontario communities’ spirit of voluntary service, of compassion and responsibility, and local initiative that has always sustained us through hard times. At the same time, this bill is also an opportunity to reflect on and educate concerning the injustices faced by Indigenous veterans through the loss of their status despite volunteering to defend Canada during World War II.

Speaker, we’ve heard earlier, as we should, what this proposed legislation calls for, but in particular, volunteerism within their community and their corps. As a result, the communities would be represented on behalf of the cadet receiving the award—and in the process, bringing awareness to and educating community members about the injustice experienced by Indigenous veterans.

In the end, Speaker, community service binds us to each other—doesn’t it?—and to our communities, and to our province, in a way that nothing else can. That’s what it means to be an Ontarian. It’s always been the case in this province, that notion that we invest ourselves, our time, our energy, our vision, our purpose into the very fabric of this great province. That’s what we give back freely.

Think for a moment, Speaker, about all the people Murray Whetung touched, and the lives he changed after returning to his community from serving in World War II. We heard earlier from the bill sponsor, Peterborough–Kawartha, that he went twice. All of those who were helped who went on to help others, and continue to help others in the community—for me, Speaker, that’s an extraordinary ripple effect that one life, lived humbly, by Murray Whetung, with love for one’s country, province and in service to one’s fellow citizens, can have such a difference. That is Murray Whetung’s legacy. That’s his legacy.

I’m pleased to hear from the presentation from the member for St. Catharines that the opposition will be supporting this bill, the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act. Speaker, it does, as I suggested earlier, align very well to the fabric of this great province. Tonight I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to support this legislation, and I thank the member from Peterborough–Kawartha for the time he spent consulting to construct this bill and the effect it will have on the lasting legacy also in our great province.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate? I recognize the member for Kiiwetinoong.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Meegwetch, Speaker. It’s an honour to be able to speak on this act to provide an award for exceptional cadets. I think when the member spoke about the treatment of First Nations, Indigenous people, where they weren’t allowed to vote, where they weren’t treated as Canadians, that is the reality and the history of Canada that we live as First Nations people. It’s not just that they weren’t Canadian—it’s not that. It’s more than that. It’s that they were not treated as human beings.

But I am here today to support this award. I’m here to fully speak on the cadet program and that we move forward in a way that we can support the cadets for this award, because there’s always room for improvement, Speaker. The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement, and this bill does that. Meegwetch.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Further debate? Further debate? Further debate?

I recognize the member from Peterborough–Kawartha for two minutes.

Mr. Dave Smith: I’d like to thank the members from Niagara West, St. Catharines, Barrie–Innisfil, Mushkegowuk–James Bay, Whitby and Kiiwetinoong for taking the time to speak to this.

I think that we’ve had a lot of dark histories, is what I’ll refer to it as, in Canada. As I said in my 12 minutes, I can’t go back and rewrite the beginning, but I can start today and write a new ending. And I’m seeing support here. I’m going to guess that the bill is going to pass second reading tonight.

When we go to committee on it, there’s still a little bit more work. Chief Emily Whetung has become a very good friend of mine, and she said to me once, “The last thing that the First Nations need is another big white guy telling them exactly what they need.” So with that in mind, the award is not finalized on what it’s going to look like because we need to have more feedback from First Nations.

The Whetung family has asked if we would consider having an eagle feather as what the award is, because in their culture, the Michi Saagig culture, the eagle feather represents the greatest award to be given. We’re still working with the Department of National Defence federally. They control cadets. Although we can pass this bill and we can create the award, we can’t have it finalized until the federal government actually comes forward and says yes to it. What we’ll probably do in the interim is give a scroll from it and—I’ll throw it out right now for those who are watching—one of the things that we’re going to ask for is for some First Nation Indigenous individuals to give us a drawing of an eagle feather that we could choose. Then we’ll have the Whetung family actually choose which drawing of the eagle feather that they like the best and have that as a watermark on the scroll that is presented.

We will tell the story of First Nation veterans. We have started that process now of getting stories from different First Nation communities across all of Ontario so that the story of a veteran close to that squadron or corps will be the story that’s told at the annual review, so that there is that connection back to their own community. Yes, the award will be named after Murray Whetung, but it will be a celebration of all First Nation veterans, and I think it will be a way that we can do something to remind people that even though you haven’t been treated well, when you give back, you get more.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): The time provided for private members’ public business has expired.

Mr. Smith, Peterborough–Kawartha, has moved second reading of Bill 31, An Act to provide for an award for exceptional cadets. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I declare the motion carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to standing order 100(h), the bill is referred to the Committee of the Whole House.

I recognize the member from Peterborough–Kawartha.

Mr. Dave Smith: I’d like to refer it to the committee of the interior, please.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Donna Skelly): Is the majority in favour of this bill being referred to the Standing Committee on the Interior? The bill is referred to the Standing Committee on the Interior.

All matters relating to private members’ public business have now been completed. This House stands adjourned until 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.

The House adjourned at 1840.