Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In May, I attended an event where disabilities council CEO Denise McKee delivered remarks which I will highlight today in the House.

For a family living with disability, you learn early that there are moments in life when a family realizes that love alone is not enough to overcome the barriers placed in front of them. It can come when a parent spends months, sometimes years, fighting for therapies their child urgently needs while watching developmental opportunities slip away, or it comes when an adult living with a disability is told there is a waitlist for essential supports, accessible housing, transportation, mental health services, or respite care. It comes when families are already exhausted, isolated, and forced to become advocates, coordinators, therapists, and crisis managers all at once because the systems meant to support them are fragmented or unavailable.

The lack of service doesn't create inconvenience, it creates loss. It is the loss of independence for a person who could thrive with the right support. It is the loss of opportunity for a child who deserves every chance to learn, communicate, and belong. It is the loss of employment for parents who must leave careers behind to become full-time caregivers.

Too many people living with disabilities grow up hearing what they cannot do instead of being provided the supports to succeed. Too many families are left navigating systems that are complicated, underfunded, and difficult to access at the exact moment they are already overwhelmed. Each one of these unmet needs is not just a story but a human being. People living with disabilities are not asking for charity. Families are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for equity. They are asking for access. They are asking for systems that recognize their humanity and values their lives.

When appropriate supports are available, we see extraordinary things happen. Children communicate for the first time. Adults gain employment and independence. Families breathe again. Caregivers are able to rest. People become connected to their communities instead of excluded from them. Potential is no longer buried beneath barriers. Support services are not expenses to be minimized. They are investments in human dignity, inclusion, and stronger communities. So today I ask the Minister to help all of us. Please remember that accessibility is not only about ramps and policies. It is about whether people feel seen, whether families feel supported, whether a child is given the chance to thrive. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Whether families feel supported, whether a child is given the chance to thrive, because disability can touch any family at any time, and when that moment comes every person deserves to know they will not have to face it alone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.