EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2019 is amended to provide for an English-language Poet Laureate of Ontario and a French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario. Amendments are made to the Act to reflect there being two Poet Laureates of Ontario. The Act is also amended to require that at least two members of the selection panel for a French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario be capable of evaluating the original French-language works of the candidates for the position.

Bill 47 2021

An Act to amend the Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2019 with respect to the establishment of a French-language Poet Laureate

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

1 (1)  Subsection 1 (1) of the Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2019 is repealed and the following substituted:

Poet Laureates of Ontario established

(1)  There shall be an English-language and a French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario, both of whom are officers of the Assembly.

(2)  Subsection 1 (2) of the Act is amended by striking out “a Poet Laureate” and substituting “the Poet Laureates”.

(3)  Subsection 1 (3) of the Act is amended by striking out the portion before paragraph 1 and substituting the following:

Qualifications

(3)  In order to be appointed a Poet Laureate of Ontario, an individual shall satisfy the following requirements:

.     .     .     .     .

(4)  Paragraph 2 of subsection 1 (3) of the Act is amended by adding “and the volume of poetry or a large portion of the body of work, as the case may be, must have been written in the relevant language, that being English for the English-language Poet Laureate of Ontario or French for the French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario” at the end.

(5)  Subsection 1 (4) of the Act is amended by striking out “The Poet Laureate” at the beginning and substituting “A Poet Laureate”.

(6)  Subsection 1 (5) of the Act is amended by striking out “the Poet Laureate” and substituting “a Poet Laureate”.

2 (1)  Section 2 of the Act is amended by striking out “the Poet Laureate” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “a Poet Laureate”.

(2)  Subclause 2 (a) (iv) of the Act is repealed and the following substituted:

       (iv)  the current Poet Laureate of Ontario, if any, whose successor is to be selected by the committee; or

(3)  Section 2 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsection:

Selection of French-language Poet Laureate

(2)  At least two members of a selection panel referred to in clause 2 (1) (a) that is responsible for selecting a French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario must be capable of evaluating the original French-language works of the candidates for the position and, as may be necessary to comply with this requirement,

  (a)  the Speaker may select another member of the Legislative Assembly to replace him or her on the panel and to serve as its chair;

  (b)  the Ontario Legislative Librarian may select an individual to replace him or her on the panel; and

  (c)  the Speaker and the Ontario Legislative Librarian may, acting jointly, select up to two individuals who are not members of the Province of Ontario Council for the Arts but who have knowledge of French-language literary activity in Ontario to replace one or both of the members of the Province of Ontario Council for the Arts.

3 Subsection 3 (1) of the Act is amended by striking out “The Poet Laureate” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “Each Poet Laureate”.  

4 Section 4 of the Act is amended by striking out “the Poet Laureate” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “a Poet Laureate”.

Commencement

5 This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

6 The short title of this Act is the Poet Laureate of Ontario Amendment Act (French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario), 2021.