Good morning and welcome. I'm John Fitzpatrick, Senior Director of Records of Access and Information Security Management of the National Security Council. It is my honor and privilege to be here this morning to introduce our distinguished guests. I'll pause for just a moment and let her in. To introduce our distinguished guests and to provide information about the final release of records for what is a most historic and significant exchange between our nations, the US Declassification Project for Argentina. We are here for the presentation of more than 5,500 records totaling over 43,000 pages of declassified documents related to human rights abuses committed during the military occupancy of Argentina. This release of records concludes a multi-year effort conducted by more than 16 executive branch agencies and departments, beginning in 2016 and spanning two administrations. Upon request by Argentine President Mauricio Macri, President Obama announced during his 2016 visit to Buenos Aires that the US government would embark on a comprehensive effort to identify additional records related to human rights abuses. In 2017, President Macri personally renewed his request to President Trump. And since then, the president has personally participated in the project, delivering records to President Macri during his visit to Washington, DC in April of 2017. Under the direction of the president, the project has resulted in declassification and release of more than 7,000 records, close to 50,000 pages of information for the benefit of the Argentine people. More than 380 members of the federal workforce contributed more than 30,000 hours to ensure the president's task, which called for airing on the side of inclusiveness in the search for records to ensure that it was successful. We're pleased to commemorate this event with our partners and we welcome the distinguished guests from the Argentine delegation. Minister Herman Carlos Garavano joins us on behalf of President Macri and will be accepting the records during our ceremony. Minister Garavano has served as the Minister of Justice and Human Rights since 2015. Prior to his tenure as minister, he served as the Attorney General of the city of Buenos Aires from 2007 to 2014. From 2005 to 2007, he was the Deputy Vice President of the Council, Attorney Generals, Attorneys, Public Defenders, and General Advisors of the Argentine Republic. In 2005, Minister Garavano was elected Vice President of the Justice Study Center of the Americas by the Organization of American States. He was also elected Judge for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires from 2003 to 2007. And his career includes extensive academic work across Latin America through the field of judicial reform. We will be hearing from him shortly, but I'm pleased to welcome and introduce Minister Garavano. I'm also pleased to welcome Argentine Ambassador to the United States, Fernando Oras de Rola and his lovely wife from the States this year. We are pleased the ambassador is able to join us this morning, although we thought for a minute he was going to be called to the White House, but we have worked things out appropriately. And your commitment to attend this ceremony speaks volumes as its significance to the Argentine people. Thank you for being here. I'd also like to welcome Ms. Gabrielle Quinteros, Director of the Human Rights Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immersion. We also welcome our guests from the Argentine Embassy and senior officials representing the participating government agencies and department that work so diligently on the project. On the US side, we welcome Corrine Stone, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Strategy and Engagement at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Corrine is representing the collective efforts of the intelligence community, community including the Central Intelligence Agency, and in particular represents the leadership the OD and I has taken to ensure the online release of these records to the public. I'll talk about that website later in the procedure. I welcome Assistant Attorney General for National Security, the Honorable John DeMurris, who represents the Department of Justice to include the Federal Bureau of Investigation that played a significant role in the review of law enforcement and intelligence records. I also welcome the Honorable John Dinkleman, Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration and Kevin O'Reilly, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, both from the Department of State. Karen Myers, Director of the Executive Services Director and Washington Headquarters Services, joins us to represent the components from the Department of Defense that supported the project. Those many components include the departments, the Air Force, Army, and Navy, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Southern Command, no stone unturned. We have in the audience today agency program managers and declassifiers, as well as leaders from civil society, whose support has been substantial in bringing increased awareness to the project. Next, I'd like to introduce the leader of the National Archives and our presiding official today, the Archivist of the United States, the Honorable David Esferio. David Esferio was confirmed as the 10th Archivist of the United States in November of 2009, National Archives and Records Administration is responsible for preserving and providing access to the records to the U.S. government. Now it has 44 facilities across the country, including 14 presidential libraries, containing approximately 14 billion with a fee, billion pages of textual records, 43 million photographs, miles and miles of film and video, and an ever-increasing number of electronic records. Previously, Mr. Ferriero served as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries and held top positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Duke University. Mr. Ferriero will offer his remarks and then present the records to the minister. David. Thank you, John, and good morning. A special welcome to Attorney General Caravano and Ambassador DeRayo and Director Contarros. I'm honored to host you today, and I'd like to thank John Dinkelman, John DeMurrus, Karen Stone, Karen Myers, and Carlos Oslario for attending today's ceremony also. My first duty is to welcome you to my house, so welcome to the National Archives. The National Archives serves as a crucial role as our nation's record keeper. Our mission, as John said, is to collect, protect, and preserve the permanently valuable records of all three branches of the United States government. And we take this responsibility seriously. Public access to government records strengthens democracy by allowing citizens to hold their government accountable, understand their history, and participate more effectively in their government. When President Franklin Roosevelt who signed the legislation creating the National Archives articulated his vision and mission when he dedicated his presidential library in Hyde Park, New York, he said, it seems to me that the dedication of a library is in itself an act of faith to bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future. The nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past, it must believe in the future, and it must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that they can gain in judgment in creating their own future, creating their own future, our mission. So today, as John said, that collection is actually over 15 billion sheets of paper, 44 billion photographs, miles and miles of film and video, and about six billion electronic records so far, the fastest record form in our collection and the thing that keeps me up at night. These records start with the Osvaligeans signed at Valley Forge by George Washington and his troops and go all the way up to the tweets that are being created as I am speaking. I'm speaking. I'm speaking. Millions of visitors and researchers visit us to learn more about our nation's history. As John said, we operate 44 facilities in 17 states, including the 14 presidential libraries and museums to research facilities here in D.C. and 14 regional archives around the country. I'm honored to host this important event on behalf of the President of the United States government, the 16 agencies that participated in the project and the American people. To set the stage and to emphasize its importance, I used my prerogative as arguments to showcase two treasures from our vault. Outside of this room, I hope you saw two treaties on display. In 1822, the United States was declared nation to recognize Argentina's Declaration of Independence from Spain. While our two nations enjoyed good relations and started trading, it was not until July 10th, 1853 that our two nations first formalized by lateral relations with the treaty to allow free navigation on the Parana and Uruguay rivers. This treaty focused solely on navigation rights, quickly read to an agreement of a broader treaty. And the second treaty, the Treaty of Friendship, Navigation and Commerce was signed shortly thereafter on July 27th, 1853 and expanded our relationship to include agreements to facilitate increased trade. So please have a look after the ceremony if you haven't already seen them. I also invite you to visit the public vaults in our museum where coincidentally, the Treaty of Friendship, Navigation and Commerce that the Argentine Confederation gave to the United States is now on display. This ornate version includes a skippet with a seal of the Argentine Confederation. The US Declassification Project for Argentina is both a historic and significant project. There have been other declassification projects in the past, but this one stands out for several reasons. First, the project span two presidential administrations. President Barack Obama directed agencies to conduct this project after receiving a request from President Markey. And then, and after President Markey renewed the request early in this administration, as John said, President Donald Trump directed that, it continued. The project is unparalleled for its scope and breadth. 16 executive agencies participated, over 380 employees from these agencies, spending 32,000 hours searching our records and reviewing them on a word basis. The results of those reviews are impressive and reflect the President's interest. More 43,000 pages are about to be publicly released and I think we're gonna see and hear about that later. The declassification rate on these pages is about 97% in aligns with the President's instruction to release as much information as possible. Another historic aspect of this project. Finally, the process for organizing and completing this project is unique. I attributed its success to the inclusion of all the stakeholders. They include the executive branch agencies working with officials from the Argentine embassy here in Washington, the United States embassy in Buenos Aires, and the Argentine government. There was also dialogue and communication with the Argentine civil society organizations including two video conferences. Historians working closely from within and outside government and cooperation with Carlos Osorio from the National Security Archive. I thank the National Archives staff who participated in this project. Staff from the National Declassification Center, the Center for Legislative Archives, the Presidential Materials Division, the Office of Innovation and Information Security Oversight Office, and archivists from the Ford, Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush Presidential Libraries. Our staff played a key role throughout this project. In August 2016, just two months after receiving the Presidential Directive, the archivists in the Presidential Libraries quickly compiled and reviewed over 1,000 pages of Presidential documents. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered these documents to President Mowley. Later that month on an official trip to Buenos Aires, in December 2016, as the government of Argentina honored the life of former Assistant Secretary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Pat Darian, U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Noah Mahmet, delivered an additional 550 pages. These pages remain significant as they include information from 25 presidents' daily briefs from the Carter administrations. Daily presidents' daily briefs, as they're called, are among our nation's most sensitive intelligence documents and are compiled expressly for the President. Few others in government get to read them. The Carter administration records were not scheduled for review until the next decade. These declassified records allow for important contexts in aid historians and understanding President Carter's actions and policies regarding human rights violations in Argentina. In April 2017, President Trump provided over 3,000 pages of newly declassified documents to President Macri. They included documents from the Carter Library identified by Department of State Historians for inclusion in the South America volume of the Foreign Relations of the United States series, the official documentary and historical record of major United States foreign policy decisions and activities. For this last tranche of records, the staff of the National Degradation Center searched over 740 cubic feet of records and identified over 4,600 pages for inclusion. A cubic foot, for those of you who don't know, is about 3,000 pieces of paper, so 740 cubic feet. They included records created by the Air Force, Army and Departments of Justice, Labor and State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Joint Staff, the U.S. Information Agency, and U.S. Agency for International Development. The National Declassification Center staff was supported by declassification professionals from several agencies, and I'd like to thank the staff from the Air Force, the Army, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the FBI, the Joint Staff, the Washington Headquarters Services at the Department of Defense, the Navy, the U.S. Southern Command and the Departments of Justice and State of the World. This collaboration illustrates how the National Declassification Center brings together people and processes within the executive government branch declassification community to advance declassification and public access to historical records. There are distinguished retired diplomats here today, like Ted Harris and Fred Rondon, who helped save lives working at the Department of State. And I believe you're very excited. There you are. Thanks for being here. Thank you. And thank you for what you accomplished. Mario DeCarol is here representing his wife, Isabelle Magnone. Her sister was arrested and disappeared in 1976. Her mother Angelica was one of the founders of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. And her father, Emilio, championed Human Rights and Accountability, who did including testifying in tribes. Where are you sitting? Thank you. Thank you for being here. Azul Hidalgo Sola is also here. Her grandfather, Ambassador Hector Hidalgo Sola, was kidnapped and disappeared in July 1977. And where is he? Thank you for being here. The records of Ted Harris and Fred Rondon are here at the National Archives. The records about Monica being known and the work of her parents for justice are here, just as records relating to the disappearance of Azul's grandfather are here. They help tell the story of this period in Argentine history and in our own history. On your way into this building this morning, you passed two monumental statues. One statue included the words, study the past. Using our private records, this project was designed to help families and victims find closure, peace, and justice. Ensure accountability and aid judicial processes. Aid Argentine citizens understand their history. The other statue included the words, the past is pro-luck. The declassification of these records greatly aids the national history so that we can learn from it the lessons from these records and from survivors and those who seek truth and justice for the people of Argentina are meaningful and offer hope for the future. Thank you. Presentation of the record. On behalf of the president, it is my honor to present you with these declassified records that are a symbol of our nation's mutual support of government and transparency and in the hope that they might provide assistance and offer some measure of healing for your country. I'm reading a letter from the president of the United States addressed to his Excellency Mauricio Macri, president of the Argentine Nation Buenos Aires. Dear Mr. President, it is my pleasure to commemorate the final delivery of records in the historic declassification project completed by the United States government on behalf of the people of Argentina and those victims of human rights abuses during the 1976 to 1983 period of military dictatorship. This project demonstrates our shared commitment to promoting open and transparent government. It also reflects the importance that the United States places in its relations with Argentina. Over the last three years, we were in the 16 executive branch departments and agencies reviewed thousands of records of historical significance for the project, including for the first time records from the United States intelligence, law enforcement and defense agencies. I am proud of our leaders, the dedicated federal workforce and our civil society partners, whose collective efforts resulted in providing the people of Argentina access to more than 7,000 historically significant records. Their contribution is but one example of the great work we expect of our public servants who perform their duties tirelessly to promote American democratic ideals, both here and abroad. The release of records constitutes the largest declassification of United States government records directly to a foreign government in history. My hope is that access to these records provides people of Argentina information to help in the healing process. Sincerely, Donald Trump. Minister Garba. Good morning. One of the guests. I give a few words in Spanish and then continue in English. I want to thank the National Archive. I want to thank all the staff and all the agencies of the United States who have worked on this process, which has been, as the President pointed out, a process that has been a great embargo and a great effort. I want to thank all the staff of the Argentine Fajada, of the Argentine Cancillary, and I especially want to thank the families of victims in the State Terrorism that accompany us here. They were also members, again, of the Plaza Mayor, of the CELS, who originally made this request. President Macri took on and worked thanks to the excellent relationship. First with President Obama, then with President Trump, to advance in this process, which I really think is a historical fact, because really the information will allow that, as I mentioned earlier, the judicial processes continue to advance and get to know Mac, get to know the dark side of this period so dark that we live in our country, and that this helps us to know that democracy, that the Republic is above everything else, that it is where we are in fact, without guarantees, without gifts. Beyond political, sociological differences, that we will have, and so it has to be a project for the future. In English. In the name of President Macri and the people of Argentina, thank you very much to all of you. Thank you very much for the effort you do to bring this information to our country. Information to help to heal the injuries to move forward, to bring justice, strong justice, memory, and truth. The last March 24th, March the 43rd, for the third anniversary of the last military coup, the stat, and the Argentine Republic await with great expectation this document which will constitute a valuable, invaluable contribution to the process of memory, truth, and justice. Our country has affirmed its commitment to achieve a fairer, more pacific and inclusive society. This document that I received today on behalf of the Argentine State make a contribution for building a more democratic society. Thanks to the fruitful dialogue between our nations, received today the largest release of the classified documents related to the last military dictatorship in our country. The information containing these documents will be fundamental for the Argentine justice to finish investigation cases of the past which are still pending and are related to one of the darkest time of our history. This is a good news for the Argentine people to learn from the past and not repeat in the future. This very motive moment is the achieve of the goal but at the same time remove the dark past of our history. We thank you and greatly value the fundamental contribution under the strain hinting of our bilateral relations and this is the result of the new direction of the Argentine foreign policy. A new paradigm whose main feature is the dialogue and integration after many years of isolation was a large process of work of many people, many agencies, many NGOs and this remove a lot of feelings, a lot of feelings but I think it's an example in both countries how we can get it work together. The different administrations, the different ideologies, the different vision of the world but we work together with a good objective. We work together for the democracy and for the people and this is a very important lesson, I think. A very important lesson. Argentine science and values therefore made by the National Security Council of the White House was representing for this classification process to the National Archive. Today we take this opportunity to condemn again the state terrorists and all kinds of terrorists. These days a lot of people in all the world suffer the consequences of the terrorists. And we need to work together for a stronger republic, for a stronger democracy and make a better world or live all together in peace. Thank you very much. Hi Mr. Minister Garbano for your eloquent remark regarding the government of Argentina. To provide more detail about the impact of the release of records in the Argentina declassification project I'd like to introduce Mr. Carlos Osorio Director of the Southern Cone Documentation Project at the National Security Archive. Since 2002 Carlos has published dozens of briefing books on state terrorism and US policy in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. He has produced annotated selections of US declassified documents which the National Security Archive provided to judges, lawyers and human rights groups in Argentina, Uruguay and Italy. Using US declassified documents and records from regional secret services Carlos has introduced critical evidence in multiple judicial proceedings including trials on Operation Condo and Operation Mexica involving high-ranking former military officers and presidents from Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Carlos has also worked with the Panama Truth Commission and the Guatemala Truth Commission to gather documents on military structure and deaths and disappearances in the 1970s. Carlos has been a partner supporting the Argentina declassification project and will speak to its significance to those seeking truth and justice through government accountability and elites. Carlos. Thank you. Thank you for those generous words of introduction. I want to say that it is such an honor to attend this special declassification diplomacy event on Argentina. And to participate in this historic turnover of history. I am grateful to Chief Archivist David Ferriero for hosting this unique gathering and I want to express my gratitude and that of my organization, the National Security Archive. To everyone at the Argentine Embassy, at the NSC, I cannot pinpoint you, at the National Archives who worked so very hard to organize this event on a very, very short notice. And let me personally extend my own welcome to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Hermán Caravan. Señor Ministro, bienvenido. Bienvenido a Washington. Que bueno que usted y Argentina ya tienen los documentos declassificados. Over at my organization, the National Security Archive, my colleagues and I have had the distinct experience of working on a number of major special U.S. government declassifications, projects like the ones on El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Brazil, et cetera. And even a previous release of State Department records on Argentina authorized by President Clayton Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and completed by the State Department of George W. Bush in 2001. With all that previous experience, we have never witnessed the intensity and commitment by the professionals in the National Security Council and the agencies themselves to find in all the documents and declassifying them as fully as possible. Documents that once looked like this. Now look like this. I want to commend the Trump administration for supporting this project to completion. I want to commend everyone at the NSC and the agencies that found and reviewed these records for their excellent work in extricating thousands of these records from their SCIFS, those sensitive compartmented information facilities. Where these documents lead dormant for, in some cases, more than 40 years. In my mind, you are the liberators of history. You have fulfilled President Obama's original pledge when he authorized this declassification project that we have the responsibility to confront the past with honesty and transparency. You have met what Argentine novel Lord Pierce Perez Esquivel called the death of history the United States has in Argentina. And let me say to John Powers, who deserves special credit for leading the declassification project, you, sir, are the believer, the real believer of this moment. Here, here. And I want to thank you for your efforts to include not only myself in this unforgettable project, but also your outreach to the human rights community in Argentina. The extra efforts you have made to maintain communication with the human rights groups such as the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo is quite commendable. To the human rights groups of Argentina, we owe a special debt of gratitude. Despite the passage of decades, they have kept the memories of the victims of so many atrocities alive and maintain the moral and political pressure on their own government and on all of us to find out what happened to their loved ones and hold those responsible accountable. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the efforts of those diplomats, policymakers, and national security agents on the ground who generated the paper trail of history that is being declassified today. I want to recognize the work of diplomats. I bring to mind our ambassador Robert Hill, who for the first time confronted the military and he even confronted his superiors at the Department of State. I want to commend fighters, diplomats, such as Tex Harris, whose embassy cables repeatedly called attention to the human rights atrocities that were being committed around him. Mr. Harris is here today. Let me share with you our gratitude for participating in the first internal debate over standing up for the principles of human rights and human decency in U.S. foreign policy. And leaders like Patricia Darian and Mark Schneider and so many others helped to create a historical record on the issue of human rights. It is a historical record that holds many lessons for today and that remains highly relevant as the debate over U.S. foreign policy and human rights is revisited. Now, I have had the opportunity to review some of the extraordinary documents and I wanted to share with you my preliminary evaluation of their importance. They are rich in detail. They are riveting in their content as grim and sinister and horrific as that content often is in these records of repression. I am certain that this project represents a new model of declassification of decency. I am certain that the release of these records is a uniquely valuable contribution to the cause of human rights, the cause of justice and the cause of our fundamental right to know. That is because these documents name names. They name the names of the perpetrators and the names of the victims and they identify the gruesome and reprehensible human rights crimes that they were committed. And because they name those names, they provide a level of truth and accountability that many other declassification projects have failed to achieve. They will prove extremely valuable in Argentina's ongoing quest for justice, truth and dignity for the tens of thousands of human rights victims and their families. In a number of cases, these documents will provide those documents with the only evidence they have ever had on the fate of their plot. Like the tens of thousands of desaparecidos from the era of the military dictatorship, the Argentine archives on repression have also been desaparecidos, buried, burned, perhaps also thrown into the ocean. In so many cases, the US documents being turned over today to Argentina are our and will be the only evidence of the fate of so many Argentinians at the hands of the military dictatorship. I have personally experienced the intense warmth of the relatives of the disappeared when I shared previously declassified documents as part of a trial testimony in Argentina. I have heard and seen the gratitude from the children of the disappeared. From the appropriated children of the disappeared coming to me, who have held documents in their hands, documents that finally shed light on what happened to their parents, and what was their own reveal. Thank you, they tell me. The documents allow us to touch our loved ones. To all the fighters for the right to know here and in Argentina, I extend that sentiment to you. That, my friends, is the diplomacy of declassification. That is the ultimate meaning of declassification diplomacy in the name of human rights. Thank you. Powerful remark. I'd like to thank everyone for attending today's ceremony. The released records are available online now at intel.gov slash Argentina. You don't have to write that down. We have cards for everyone to take on the way out that have been addressed in the back. Some Google search will discover them for you. Again, thanks to the Office of the DNI for the hosting of the documents and the presentation. A little bit of housekeeping before we go. Keep in mind that all persons who take it very well, who depart the National Archives are subject to security procedures on exit. That's part of the protect and preserve. And we'd like to ask our senior government officials to remain here in the front of the room after this ceremony so that we can take some additional photographs. On behalf of the National Archives, executive branch agencies who participated in the project I'd like to thank everyone for attending. Good day.


For more videos on People's Struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Protests in Haiti have intensified as Jovenel Moise, in violation of the country's constitution, has refused to step down. Opposition political parties and social organizations have been mobilizing in the country since early January against moves by the president to extend his time in office. According to the opposition, Moise's mandate as president ended on February 7th, 2021. They argue that Article 134-2 of the constitution provides for an early start of a new presidential term if there were irregularities in the electoral process. This claim was backed up by Haiti Superior Council of the Judiciary, which on February 7th announced the official end of Moise's presidential term and expressed concerns about the serious threats resulting from a lack of a political agreement regarding the presidential mandate's expiration. The Federation of Haitian Lawyers also issued a resolution on February 1st, declaring that Moise's mandate was set to expire on February 7th, 2021. However, Moise, who is backed by the country's armed forces, the United States government, the European Union, and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, has refused to step down. On Sunday, the day his mandate was set to end, Moise stated in a video address, I have 364 days left in power. There will be no transition. He has argued that an interim government occupied the first year of his five-year term. Despite this, the opposition remains adamant. Massive protests were carried out on February 7th and have continued till today. These have been met with violent repression by Haitian security forces while major cities in the country have been militarized. Reports state that police attacked several journalists throughout the protests. On February 8th, Haitian opposition political parties and social organizations declared that the term of the president, Jovenel Moise, ended on February 7th and appointed Supreme Court Judge Joseph Jean-Louis as the interim president. This came right after the president alleged that there was a coup attempt on Sunday to install another Supreme Court judge as the president. 23 people were arrested in relation to this, including the Supreme Court judge and a senior police official. Moise also issued a decree dismissing three Supreme Court judges. The repression and persecution of Haiti's opposition has been widely condemned. Lawyer André Michel, leader of the Opposition Democratic and Popular Sector Party, denounced the illegal arrests as a true systematic repression and said that democracy is threatened and the rule of law is endangering the country. Michel called on the citizens to continue demonstrating against Moise until he and his far-right Haitian type-care party leave office. Haitian democracy has long been under threat under the watchful eye and support of the United States government. Since January 2020, Moise has been ruling by presidential decree as the mandates of the members of parliament expired without legislative elections being held. They were scheduled for October 2019, but were postponed due to a wave of anti-government protests. Haiti currently only has 11 elected officials in office. Protests are set to continue in Haiti as Moise sends the country deeper into crisis. Existing concerns of citizens over increasing corruption, hunger, inequality, poverty and violence have brought the population to the brink and they demand immediate changes.


So you see I have this situation where I have a path beginning at so this is the path which is given by continuous function gamma from the closed interval a, b on the real line to complex plane and of course this point is z0 which is gamma of a and this terminal point of the path is z1 which is gamma of b and uhhh what we defined as uhhh an indirect penalty continuation uhhh in terms of power series is an expression uhhh it is a uhhh it is an expression involving uhhh power series which continuously vary with respect to the parameter t as t varies on the uhhh on this closed interval on the real line okay. So uhhh for every uhhh t in a, b uhhh we have gamma uhhh we have we have the function f t of z which is given by this power series it is a convergent power series uhhh centred at gamma of t uhhh so it is an expansion in integral powers of z-gamma of t and with coefficients a n which are again functions of t uhhh n is relevant to 0 and uhhh of course uhhh with uhhh radius of convergence uhhh r of t and disc of convergence uhhh mod z-gamma t is less than r of t. So, this is a so this is a one parameter family of power series okay the parameter is t alright and we want this we want a as t moves uhhh uhhh which means you are thinking of the point gamma of t moving on this path so t is moving on this interval okay from a to b gamma of t traces this path okay and we want the power series to move uhhh to be be continuous in the sense that uhhh we want successively uhhh the uhhh power series in a neighbourhood uhhh being direct analytic continuations uhhh uhhh and then that is a condition so the condition is uhhh for uhhh t uhhh t prime near t uhhh f t prime uhhh is equal to f t this is the condition we have okay. So, so in other words uhhh so so so for each each uhhh t in a b there exists an epsilon uhhh there exist an epsilon of t uhhh greater than 0 such that uhhh uhhh uhhh f t prime is the same as f t uhhh whenever t prime is in this epsilon neighbourhood of t so t prime belongs to uhhh uhhh t-epsilon t t plus epsilon t intersection of course a b this is the condition this is the condition that we put to say that uhhh uhhh so if you have come a t here uhhh corresponding to a point t so if I draw if I draw the real line uhhh here and this is a and this is b and I have a t then I have a an open neighbourhood an open interval centred at t uhhh given by t-epsilon t t plus epsilon t such that for every t prime in that neighbourhood uhhh the uhhh the power series at t prime and the power series at t represent the same analytic function okay. So, uhhh uhhh of course when I say the power series are equal I mean that the analytic functions they represent are equal in the in the uhhh of course in the intersection of the uhhh uhhh uhhh it will be in it will be in a neighbourhood of uhhh it will be in this neighbourhood okay. So, so what is happening is here is gamma of t and then I have gamma of t prime and you know there is a gamma of t uhhh has it is a power series with certain radius of convergence and uhhh what I want is that uhhh uhhh if I draw if I draw the power series uhhh centred at gamma t prime what I want is that in this uhhh in this intersection uhhh I want uhhh uhhh the the power series at gamma t and gamma t prime to represent same analytic function that is what I want okay. So, uhhh so, so at gamma t this is the uhhh this is the disc of convergence with radius equal to uhhh uhhh radius of convergence equal to rt and at gamma t prime I have another disc of convergence uhhh with uhhh radius of convergence rt prime okay and then I in this disc of convergence I have ft uhhh which is a analytic function of z with this power series expansion it is a Taylor series expansion of ft and here I have in this disc I have the uhhh the power series ft prime okay and what I want is that in this intersection of these two discs I want ft and ft prime to be the same alright. So, what this essentially means and I want this to happen for all t prime in uhhh all t prime sufficiently close to t. So, in other words uhhh if you take any such uhhh t prime uhhh then uhhh what is happening is that uhhh ft prime and ft are direct analytic continuations of each other. In fact, they are one in the same function on the intersection. So, they are direct analytic continuations of each other. So, uhhh thus thus for t prime close to its close to t uhhh ft prime uhhh come up. So, if I take the pair which corresponds to uhhh uhhh the disc of convergence for ft prime uhhh I mean for ft and for ft prime they these two pairs are direct analytic continuations of one another. So, uhhh so so if I take mod z-gamma t less than rt this is the domain the disc of convergence of ft and uhhh the the other one is z-gamma t prime less than rt prime f of t prime are direct analytic continuations continuations of one another. So, this is what I have and the claim is that this uhhh this definition uhhh uhhh so the claim is that this definition of uhhh thinking of uhhh a one parameter family of power series okay uhhh such that close by power series are the same. That means uhhh they represent same analytic function uhhh this is I claim this gives a an equivalent definition of uhhh an indirect analytic continuation. So, the claim is uhhh that uhhh uhhh the power series the power series uhhh at B is the is an indirect analytic continuation of the power series at A. So, so the claim is claim is that the the the power series uhhh claim is mod z-gamma B uhhh gamma A uhhh rather gamma B uhhh less than r of B uhhh which is uhhh B is gamma uhhh B is just a z1. So, this is z1 gamma the power series at B uhhh which is gamma uhhh uhhh uhhh which is a power series at gamma B which is a power series at this point z1 uhhh is uhhh uhhh an indirect analytic continuation analytic continuation continuation of the initial uhhh the initial pair this is the final pair this is the final pair of the initial pair uhhh which is at the starting point gamma A is uhhh z0 okay. So, this is the uhhh this is the claim and to prove this claim I will have to show that you know our definition of indirect analytic continuation the original definition of indirect analytic continuation is that there are finitely many uhhh uhhh you know uhhh uhhh direct it is a chain of finitely many direct analytic continuation that is our definition of indirect analytic continuation that is what I will have to prove. So, what I will have to show is that this uhhh is obtained from this by uhhh chain of direct analytic continuation okay. Now uhhh see uhhh this is what we have to prove it is uhhh more or less intuitively obvious but then it needs a proof okay because it uses some topology. So, uhhh so the so the point is that while the definition insist that nearby uhhh nearby power series uhhh are equal okay which means that you are saying as T varies a uhhh in a small neighbourhood uhhh you are getting the same function okay it is clear that nearby power the the functions that you get nearby are one in the same. So, they are direct analytic continuation but if uhhh but it does not it does not imply that uhhh this and the starting one the the power series and the starting point the power series at the ending point the analytic functions that they represent are uhhh indirect analytic continuation of each other that is not imply okay. The the the definition only says nearby uhhh uhhh power series uhhh uhhh if you take 2 nearby points uhhh then the corresponding power series are direct analytic continuation okay. But it does not tell you uhhh uhhh that for example uhhh anything is an indirect analytic continuation of something before it okay. So, uhhh that is the power series at any point is an indirect analytic continuation of a power series at a point before okay that needs to be proved. So, uhhh so how does one prove this well one essentially uses uhhh uhhh some topology. So, the first thing is what you do is uhhh start with start with uhhh T not equal to a let epsilon not uhhh epsilon not be uhhh say the maximum uhhh uhhh such that uhhh f T prime is equal to f T not for all T prime in uhhh uhhh T not equal to a to T not as epsilon okay epsilon not right. So, choose uhhh uhhh you choose a maximum epsilon not see the definition says that you give me any point then there is a then there is a small neighbourhood uhhh uhhh of the parameter corresponding to that point where the power series are all equal alright. So, I start with T equal to T not then I will get an epsilon neighbourhood of that T equal to T not where all the power series are equal okay. Then what I do is so you know in this way uhhh so my uhhh inductively I do the following thing. So, I have this is a this is b on the real line okay and well and uhhh a is T not and what I do is now I have now I have uhhh I have this uhhh epsilon not uhhh plus T not and for all T in this uhhh interval for all T prime in this interval f T is equal to f T prime I have that okay. Now what I will do is I will start with epsilon plus T not I will call that I will call that as T one okay. If you call that as T one uhhh then there exists an epsilon one uhhh maximum such that uhhh uhhh uhhh f T f T uhhh T one is equal to uhhh f T prime is equal to f T one for all T prime in uhhh uhhh uhhh well this epsilon one neighbourhood about T one alright. So, uhhh T one T one minus epsilon one T one plus epsilon one intersection a b okay. This is again just this condition uhhh that the locally the power series uhhh for sufficiently closed values of the parameter are the same I am just supplying that condition here okay. And of course uhhh ice if if you know uhhh uhhh if this interval already contains a b I am done okay if if uhhh if the interval a, T not plus uhhh uhhh a, a plus epsilon epsilon not contains if it contains a b uhhh we are done because in that case you are saying that you are just saying that the uhhh you are just saying that the power series at b is same as a power series at a alright uhhh and uhhh uhhh I mean what you are saying is that uhhh the uhhh uhhh not the power series but the function represented by the power series at b namely f b is the same as the function representing the power series at a alright that is what you are saying and we are done. And which means that uhhh uhhh the this function is actually the same as this function and there is a whole neighbourhood uhhh there is a whole open set which contains this whole arc where uhhh the the f a and f b define same function okay. So, it it means that this is actually an extension it is a direct extension of uhhh f b is a direct analytic extension of f a okay. And of course is a direct analytic extension is also an indirect analytic extension okay it is a chain consisting of just one pair uhhh uhhh I mean uhhh just uhhh couple of pairs okay. So, uhhh so if we stop here but if it is not okay we continue okay so what what we do is if if not if not we do the following thing we put t1 is this and then you again uhhh try to look for a neighbourhood surrounding so surrounding t1 where uhhh ft1 where ft prime is the analytic function represented by ft prime is same as the analytic function represented by ft1 okay and uhhh uhhh clearly uhhh f t1 uhhh f t1 is a direct analytic continuation of f t0 which is f a okay this is because is because for t prime close to t1 and t prime less than t1 we have uhhh ft prime is equal to ft1 and ft prime is also equal to ft0 okay. Because ft prime is equal to ft0 the moment t prime goes lesser than t1 alright that is how t0 uhhh that is how epsilon0 was chosen that is how t1 was chosen alright. So, you have both uhhh which implies that uhhh f t1 is equal to ft0 okay. So, uhhh so in this way what has happened is that uhhh you know I have I have I have this point I have I have chosen this point t1 such that ft1 is uhhh direct analytic continuation of ft0 okay and uhhh and you know I now I continue this process I now continue this process until I reach the other uhhh the other end point uhhh uhhh until I until the my parameter t reaches b alright. So, you will have to show the parameter t uhhh if I do this process I have to show that I have to hit b at some point. Now again if uhhh well uhhh this this interval uhhh uhhh uhhh b is less than or equal to if b is strictly less than uhhh t1 plus epsilon1 is equal to t2 we are done okay we will be done uhhh and if not and if not we set uhhh uhhh uhhh we set t2 is equal to t1 plus epsilon1 and choose epsilon2 maximum so that uhhh ft prime is equal to ft2 uhhh for all t prime in uhhh t2 minus epsilon2 t2 plus epsilon2 intersection a b okay. So, you so you continue this process we continue by induction by induction getting an infinite chain uhhh chain of uhhh direct successive direct analytic continuations continuations. So, what you get is well I have first uhhh uhhh I want write the domains. So, I have ft0 which is fa and then uhhh ft1 ft2 and so on and the point is that uhhh and this corresponds to choosing points on the on the on the parameterizing interval.  Now the the point I want to say is that uhhh my my claim is that these t's okay there are 2 possibilities to the sequence of t's one is I am I might uhhh this sequence of t's could could could just stop okay. If the sequence of t's uhhh stops at a finite stage then I am done okay because then I would have then this would be a finite chain of direct analytic continuation starting from fa and ending at fb which will tell you that fb is an indirect analytic continuation of fa okay. See the only problem is that I need a finite chain for for fb to show that fb is an indirect analytic continuation of fa I need only a the only thing is I need is a is a finite chain okay it is a finiteness that is bothering me alright. So, if if the sequence uhhh t0 t0 t1 uhhh stops at a finite stage finite stage we are done we are done because you got a you got a finite chain of successive direct analytic continuation starts with fa and ends with fb and that will tell you that fb is an indirect analytic continuation of fa okay. So, this case can be ruled out okay this this case is done okay what is the other case the other case is that the sequence is an infinite sequence okay and if it is an infinite sequence there are 2 possibilities okay it is an infinite sequence which is uhhh which is an increasing sequence okay. So, it has to it is bounded above by the monotone convergence it has to converge okay. So, if it so there are again 2 possibilities if it converges to b also I am done okay the only problematic situation is when it converges to a point before b and in that case you get an uhhh that case will not happen because you will get a contradiction okay. So, uhhh if not the sequence uhhh ti tn n to the 0 is infinite and uhhh and it certainly converges to uhhh say uhhh t infinity uhhh in a b okay. So, uhhh so you are having a so I am using the monotone convergence theorem here I have a sequence of uhhh real numbers which is bounded above and which is increasing then it has to converge okay and the con uhhh whatever the limit is I am calling that limit as t infinity and it has to it has to belong to this interval close interval a b because it is closed a closed set will always contain the limits of its sequences okay. So, this t infinity is in a b and if this t infinity is b then I am done okay. We claim we claim t infinity is equal to b okay we claim t infinity is is the point b alright. If not if not uhhh uhhh then t infinity is a point strictly less than b okay. And uhhh uhhh that will give us a contradiction because you know see the situation is that uhhh so you have a which is t0 and you have t1 and so on. Suppose it converges to t infinity and this t infinity is strictly less than b uhhh will give a contradiction as follows what will happen is well uhhh you see the the condition the this condition that the power series f t you know uhhh it locally uhhh should match with the power series in nearby points also applies at t infinity okay. So, uhhh uhhh at at uhhh by by by the definition uhhh there exists a epsilon uhhh of t infinity greater than 0 such that uhhh f t prime is equal to f t infinity for all t prime in uhhh an epsilon t infinity neighbourhood of t infinity. So, it is so I should write this t infinity minus epsilon t infinity uhhh t infinity plus epsilon t infinity uhhh intersect a b I will get this okay and now this will give me a contradiction because you see uhhh if you choose a if you choose a uhhh uhhh so you know I I get this neighbourhood uhhh like this and this left end point is t infinity minus epsilon of t infinity the right end point is t infinity plus epsilon of t infinity of course I am not worried about uhhh the right end point it could go uhhh beyond b also okay. So, I am not worried about that but I am but what is important for me is the points before t infinity. So, if you if you choose a point if you choose a point t prime there then you will be in trouble uhhh choose choosing a point for m sufficiently large because after all uhhh uhhh every neighbourhood of the uhhh limit point contains points uhhh as close as you want uhhh of the sequence. So, I can find a t m there alright and then uhhh but what is the contradiction is uhhh we have that f t prime is equal to f uhhh t m for all t prime in uhhh uhhh t m minus epsilon m t m plus epsilon m intersection a b. I mean this is how you are choosing see what you should understand is that this t m plus epsilon m which is mind you this is t this is t m plus 1 this t m plus epsilon m is t m plus 1 alright and this t m plus 1 is to the left of t infinity okay this t m plus 1 is to the left of t infinity. So, I have this uhhh so, I have t infinity here I have on this on this side I have t infinity minus epsilon of t infinity okay and I have uhhh and on the other hand I have chosen t m here okay I have chosen t m here and then I have uhhh uhhh then there is a uhhh there is a neighbourhood alright uhhh t m minus epsilon m t m plus epsilon m alright and uhhh t m plus epsilon m is is to the left of t infinity okay.  But the point is I get a contradiction here okay uhhh I will get a contradiction here in the sense that uhhh if I take any point here at a point here for a t there if I call this is this t st prime I will have that f t prime is equal to f t m okay I will have that and on the other hand I will also have f t prime is also equal to f uhhh t infinity okay and that means that you know uhhh uhhh uhhh so, it means that uhhh this t infinity has to be strictly less than epsilon uhhh the distance of t infinity from t m has to be strictly less than epsilon m which is not correct okay. So, so this implies uhhh distance of t infinity from t m should be lesser than epsilon m which is which is which is not correct this is what you get. See please try to understand I have this uhhh left side of the neighbourhood of t infinity with length of epsilon of t infinity such that for every t prime there the power series at f t prime is the same as the power series at f t infinity alright.  But I have found a point outside uhhh that interval okay uhhh so, you know I have so, you know I have I have points uhhh I have this point t infinity which is outside that interval and such that uhhh uhhh uhhh yeah the the analytic function representing representing f t infinity is the same as analytic function representing f t m that is a contradiction to the definition of epsilon m okay and that contradiction tells me that this case will not happen okay. So, uhhh uhhh thus uhhh thus we end up with uhhh thus t infinity is actually equal to b. So, so I will just have to say that uhhh uhhh now since I know that t infinity is b uhhh then I use the compactness of the arc to get you know finitely many points uhhh in the sequence uhhh with the corresponding discs of convergence you know covering the uhhh covering the arc alright. And then it will follow that uhhh f b is uhhh uhhh in a uhhh continuation of f a right. So, uhhh now the discs the discs of convergence uhhh mod z-gamma ti this is an rti uhhh I grade I greater than or equal to 0 uhhh uhhh cover uhhh the arc traced by gamma uhhh which is compact which is compact and uhhh uhhh thus uhhh finitely many of these discs also also cover uhhh they also cover gamma this uhhh and uhhh uhhh so this shows then uhhh f b uhhh becomes an uhhh indirect analytic continuation continuation. So, let us stop here.


Anyway, it's therefore time for members' statements. The member from Fargo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I'm very happy to say that today we have in the members' gallery, Toronto University lecturer, Sharon Hart-Green. She lectures on Hebrew and Yiddish literature, and she just published her first novel entitled, Come Back For Me. It's her first fiction novel, actually. She's published two academic novels as well, or academic books. Come Back For Me is the story of Hungarian Holocaust survivor Arthur Mandelkorn's quest to find his lost sister, Mania, to whom he promised to return when they were parted during the atrocities of the Second World War. The story spans decades and continents as Arthur makes aliyah, which means moved to Israel, and later discovers his Canadian links. The plot eventually takes an unexpected turn. I read the book. It's really riveting. It's a nice book about a girl growing up in the 1960s in Toronto and flashing back to her family members who went through the Holocaust. Although no immediate family members in Sharon's Canadian family were affected by the Holocaust, Sharon grew up among the many survivors in her Toronto suburb, and I just want to mention, Mr. Speaker, that a lot of Holocaust literature really focuses on a lot of the pain and suffering, and it's just really nice to see a book where I know Sharon made a big effort to focus on people who were able to overcome the hardship and rebuild their lives to get married, to have children, and to smile and to laugh, and we all have a lot of respect for people who have that kind of resilience. It's being published by the new Jewish Press, and it's going to be used, Mr. Speaker, as an educational tool in some American schools, and I'm looking forward to seeing it being used in Canadian schools as well. I think that our students would really benefit from it. And I just want to mention that obviously the title, Come Back for Me, is linked to Arthur coming back for his sister, but I think that there's a message in there in terms of Jews going back to their Jewish identity and going back to the Jewish homeland of Israel, and I'm really happy if anybody here wants a copy of the book. I'm happy to get some down to Queen's Park and have them in my office for them as well. It's not expensive, it's a soft-covered book, and I see the member opposite asking for a book already. So thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and welcome to Queen's Park, Sharon. Just a short editorial that members might not want to consider starting a retail business at the legislature, but we'll pass on that information and realize that books are available elsewhere. Thank you. And so the member from Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. Today I rise to speak about an issue that is very important to the Windsor community and to the auto workers across Ontario. In January, this Liberal government made a decision to single out auto workers among all other sectors and reduce their emergency leave days from 10 to 7. This decision was made behind closed doors, and though the Liberals say there was consultation, I have yet to find an auto worker who says they were consulted. When the Premier visited Windsor for a public town hall, she heard from frustrated auto workers about this very issue. And just yesterday at another town hall in Ancaster, an auto worker raised the issue again, saying he feared the reduced leave days could be used up all at once if he became seriously ill or injured. When the Minister of Labor was asked about the motivation to single out auto over all other industries, he said it was because auto operates in a particularly competitive global sector. We all know what that means. This government is putting productivity and profits over people. Auto workers juggle rotating shifts, six-day workweeks, and physically demanding labor. This Liberal government should be ashamed of itself for this regulation, and they should listen to the thousands of auto workers who oppose the decision and reverse it immediately. Thank you. Member Stevens, the member from the Republican North. Merci, Monsieur le Président. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, of rising today to recognize Ghanaian Independence Day, which is celebrated on March 6th, 2018. The Republic of Ghana and the Ghanaian community in Ontario are very strong. They recall that 61 years ago, this Gold Coast region declared independence from the United Kingdom and established the nation of Ghana. The word itself, Speaker, means warrior king in the Soninke language. I have to say there's a very rich heritage and a very strong Ghanaian community in Etobicoke North. I've learned a couple of key phrases in a host of different languages, including Ashanti, Tui, Hausa, Bono, and there's many, many more. This commemorates the rich culture and heritage and allows all Ontarians to reflect on not only the Ghanaian independence, but I think the multicultural experience here in Canada. Canada, Speaker, you'll be pleased to know, was home to about 40,000 Canadians of Ghanaian origin and, of course, they represent in themselves quite a diversity of ethnicities and language and so on. In my writing, as I mentioned, they have a very thriving community. I attend their functions quite regularly. They have excellent dinners. They are wicked dancers, I certify that, and they are also a wonderful community to help nation build. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for the member's name. It's the member from Dufferin, Caledon. Thank you, Speaker. It's a pleasure to congratulate John Milkovich, a student from Mayfield Secondary School on being selected for the prestigious Loran Award. Founded in 1988, the Loran Scholars Foundation gives annual awards to outstanding young Canadians who have demonstrated extraordinary skills in academic achievement, extra-curricular activity, and leadership potential. This year, Loran Scholars Foundation has over 5,000 young Canadians apply for their scholarships. At Mayfield Secondary School, John is the president of the Athletic Association. He's on the Nordic skiing and cross-country teams and serves as rugby captain. John has been tutoring his peers in math and science for several years. In the community, John volunteered at a veterinarian clinic and is a classical guitar tutor. John is currently deciding which school he will attend in the fall. Either McMaster University or Western University will be lucky enough to welcome John to their class of 2022. After rigorous application and interview processes, I am proud to say that one of my constituents is one of only 34 students from across Canada receiving the Loran Scholarship. Congratulations, Don. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Thank you for your understanding. It's the member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today, as every day, I am proud to stand in this place and speak of the fantastic people in my riding and the city of Hamilton. Jessica Compton is one of those people. This past Sunday, I had the privilege of emceeing a fundraiser held at Tracy's Place, a local establishment in my riding. Tree of Stars was a vision of Jessica's. She grew up through the child welfare system and struggled to find the right path. Today, Jessica works two jobs, one as a child and youth worker and the other as an educational assistant. Stemming from her own experiences, she dedicates her life to mental health. With her cafe tour, Jessica inspires Hamilton's community, sharing her stories and listening to anyone else willing to share theirs. Local female musicians supported Tree of Stars, providing an original single towards the cause, a collection of work that is now available on CD. Sunday's release party featured these women who shared their gifts to raise funds for the Youth Wellness Center in Hamilton. Many thanks to these very giving musicians. Robin Benedict, Megan Bevilacqua, Lynn Atkinson, Cade Kenswick, Brenna Burns, Intershaw, Sarah Wilkinson, Ashley Bell, Sarah Smith, Darcy Fever, Maya Simpson and Charmaine Brooks. Speaker, this is truly a great example of our community stepping up for the needs of our youth with mental health services. Thank you very much. Thank you for the member's statements. The member from Acaster, Dundas, Flamborough and Westdale. Thank you, Speaker. Today, there are more than two million seniors in Ontario. They are the fastest growing segment of our population, set to double to over four million people in the next 25 years. In fact, there are now more people in Ontario age 65 or older than under 15. I recently held my annual seniors' breakfast at the Old Ancaster Town Hall, where we were joined by Ontario's Minister of Senior Affairs, the Honourable Dibbika Demirva, for a wide-ranging discussion on how we can continue keeping older adults healthy, active and engaged. Many of our breakfast topics were reflected in the Aging with Confidence, Ontario's Action Plan for Seniors, which the Premier launched in Hamilton last fall. We heard about the need for more long-term care beds. The government recently announced an investment of over 5,000 new long-term care beds over the next four years, part of a 10-year plan to create more than 30,000 new beds over the next decade. An issue close to my heart and one I have long been advocating for is the new $100 million dementia strategy. In fact, the very first Ontario consultation on a dementia strategy took place in my writing, Mr. Speaker. That strategy will do a number of useful things. The things we're doing are fulfilling responsibility. We owe the current generation owes those who spent their lifetime contributing so much. After a lifetime of working so hard and building Ontario up, we owe them nothing less. Thank you for your members' statements. The Member from Perry, Salomon School. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to take a moment to highlight an exciting event that will take place in my writing next year, and to congratulate the women who will be organizing it. Hadsville will be hosting the 2019 Ontario 55-plus Winter Games, and Fran Coleman has recently been appointed Chair of the Games Organizing Committee. Fran is a very accomplished community builder and volunteer in the Muskoka region. She served as a town and district councillor for 20 years, during which she advocated for improved healthcare services, greater access to affordable housing, and increased supports for at-risk children and youth. A compassionate and caring person, Fran has also served in the Board of Hospice, Huntsville, and is currently a volunteer with Victim Crisis and Referral Services. This three-day event in Huntsville will include more than 1,000 athletes. 10 sports will be featured, including skiing, curling, badminton, volleyball, and even duplicate bridge. The economic impact for Huntsville and surrounding region is estimated to be $2 million. Huntsville, which previously hosted these games in 2013, was chosen because it boasts excellent locations for snow sports. Huntsville will be holding a one-year-out celebration this evening where Fran will introduce the Organizing Committee. While I cannot be there tonight, I want to thank Fran and her committee for their hard work and express my support for their efforts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For the member statements, the member from Guelph. Yes, thank you very much, Speaker. Last week, I attended the Black History Month Assembly at my alma mater, the Guelph Collegiate Vacational Institute. The school unveiled a commemorative plaque and renamed the school's auditorium in honor of Alfred Lafferty. Alfred was born in Toronto, the son of black American slaves who came to Canada in search of freedom. Despite the fact that his parents were illiterate, Alfred thrived at school and graduated from the University of Toronto. In fact, he won silver medals in math, my favorite subject. In 1872, Lafferty arrived at Guelph County High School, now GCVI, where he became the first black principal of an Ontario public high school. Remarkably, in 1875, Lafferty became Ontario's first Canadian-born black lawyer. Speaker, Alfred never permitted racial discrimination to hinder his personal pursuit of excellence and professionalism, and is a role model for today's students. Thank you. Thank you for the member statements. The member from Whitby, Oswald. Thank you, Speaker. Rise this afternoon to recognize the ongoing good work and leadership of the Whitby Public Library System. Speaker, public libraries provide safe, inclusive, and vibrant community hubs where residents of all backgrounds are welcome to learn, work, innovate, explore, connect, and collaborate. And in my writing of Whitby, Oswald, the Whitby Public Library System worked closely with all levels of government and the broader community to deliver valued services and contributes to a culture of social good. Now, despite the chronic underfunding under the Liberal government, the Whitby Public Library System continues to be a catalyst, Speaker, for the residents of Whitby to pursue their goals and dreams and reach their full potential by connecting them with the expertise and resources they need. My thanks, Speaker, to Ian Ross, the Chief Librarian, and his entire staff for the positive impact they have every day, every week, every month in the lives of so many residents in the great town of Whitby. Thank you, Speaker. Well done. I thank all members for their statements. It's their...