STANDING COMMITTEE ON
JUSTICE POLICY
COMITÉ PERMANENT
DE LA JUSTICE
Wednesday 6 December 2006 Mercredi 6 décembre 2006
The committee met at 1047 in committee room 1.
ELECTION OF CHAIR
The Vice-Chair (Mrs. Maria Van Bommel): I call this committee on justice policy to order. Honourable members, it is my duty to call upon you to elect a Chair. Are there any nominations?
Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough-Rouge River): I would like to nominate Mr. Berardinetti as the Chair.
The Vice-Chair: Are there any further nominations? Mr. Kormos.
Mr. Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): Look, I have regard for Mr. Berardinetti, but he's already a deputy whip. He's going to -- what -- double-dip? I know you can't double-dip in terms of accessing two salaries, but Tony Ruprecht has nothing. There are some government members who are making pigs of themselves, picking up more than one perk job, to the exclusion of others. I want to nominate Tony Ruprecht for the position of Chair. He has seniority, he's been faithful to his Liberal colleagues, he certainly has the experience, and he speaks more than one language.
The Vice-Chair: Thank you for your concern for Mr. Ruprecht, Mr. Kormos, but you can only nominate people who are members of the standing committee.
Mr. Kormos: Oh, he gets stuck in regs, the punishment committee, right?
The Vice-Chair: Thank you very much, Mr. Kormos. Are there any further nominations? There being no further nominations, I declare nominations closed. I congratulate Mr. Berardinetti. He is now the new elected Chair of the committee.
Mr. Kormos: By acclamation.
The Vice-Chair: You're right, Mr. Kormos: acclaimed as Chair. Thank you very much. I now surrender the chair.
The Chair (Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti): Thank you, members of the committee. I prepared a speech last night, which I can start off with.
Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike that a torch has been passed to a new generation -- oh, wrong speech.
Laughter.
Interjection: The Kennedys are not here.
The Chair: Sorry about that.
Mr. Kormos: You just got an increase in salary.
The Chair: No. I'm deputy whip already, though.
Mr. Kormos: Yes, but you make more as a Chair than a deputy whip.
The Chair: It's about the same.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
The Chair: Members of the committee, I want to ask for motions to elect members of the subcommittee. Councillor -- I mean --
Mr. Balkissoon: That's good. We've known each other too long.
The Chair: There's a slip you can note in Hansard, that I think I'm at city hall still. Mr. Balkissoon?
Mr. Balkissoon: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the membership of the subcommittee on committee business be revised as follows: That Mr. Zimmer be appointed in the place of Mr. Berardinetti.
The Chair: Any debate?
Mr. Kormos: This is debatable, isn't it?
The Chair: It is debatable. It's a motion.
Mr. Kormos: Remarkable. That means that each of us has 20 minutes to kick the can.
Mr. Zimmer is exhausted. Mr. Zimmer has been doing the Attorney General's heavy lifting from day one, his dirty work, his wet work. For the life of me, I don't know why Mr. Zimmer wouldn't be recognized for the incredible labours he has contributed, not just to the welfare of his caucus but perhaps to its demise in the polls. Why he isn't being given consideration for those tremendous labours is beyond me. Does he get thanks? Does he get credit? The Attorney General, in the House the other day, in the wrap-up to Bill 107 did not thank Mr. Zimmer once.
Mrs. Carol Mitchell (Huron-Bruce): That is not what we're discussing.
The Chair: He's allowed the time to speak.
Mrs. Mitchell: So he can go on and on about Bill 107?
Mr. Kormos: Only for 20 minutes.
He did not thank Mr. Zimmer once for Mr. Zimmer being out there on the front lines, in the trenches, taking the flak, taking the heat and defending what some saw as a somewhat indefensible position, but doing it, quite frankly, in a far better spirit than I would have done it with. I think it's time for Mr. Zimmer to have a rest. I think he deserves a bit of a break, the opportunity to put his feet up and reflect on what he's done to Ontarians in the last three years at the request and behest of the Attorney General.
Having said that, I think he would be a fine member of the -- for the life of me, I don't know why this whole committee is electing the government's appointee to the subcommittee. I really don't. I don't recall being elected to the subcommittee. Mind you, I'm the only NDP member on the committee, so I guess the choices are few. It's rather limited.
Mrs. Mitchell: Be grateful for that, Peter. Be grateful for that.
Mr. Kormos: I'd love to have colleagues here.
Mrs. Mitchell: I meant competition.
Mr. Kormos: Oh, I love competition. It makes me nervous and anxious and I quake at the thought of it, but at the end of the day, I enjoy it.
I think Mr. Zimmer would -- I just can't believe the committee is being called upon to vote rather than the Liberals being allowed to appoint their representative on the subcommittee. But what the heck, I'm prepared to go with it.
The Chair: Thank you. Are any other nominations for subcommittee? Seeing none, we only have Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Zimmer, congratulations. You have been appointed to the subcommittee on justice policy.
Mr. David Zimmer (Willowdale): Thank you.
The Chair: There's a script in front of me that I'm supposed to read.
Having now completed the organizational procedure for the committee, is there any other business?
For the committee's information, there are currently five private members' bills referred to this committee. They are:
Bill 3, An Act to amend the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act with respect to the assistance that the Minister provides to municipalities. Mr. Yakabuski. It was referred on December 15, 2005.
Bill 4, An Act to amend the Health Insurance Act. Mr. Mauro. Referred on November 3, 2005.
Bill 60, An Act to amend the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 to regulate the promotion and advertising of Internet gaming in Ontario. Mr. Leal. Referred on March 2, 2006.
Bill 110, An Act to proclaim Sexual Harassment Awareness Week. Mr. Hoy. Referred on June 22, 2006.
Bill 143, An Act respecting ground current pollution in Ontario. Mrs. Van Bommel. Referred on October 19, 2006.
The one government bill referred to the committee is:
Bill 103, An Act to establish an Independent Police Review Director and create a new public complaints process by amending the Police Services Act. Mr. Bryant. Referred on October 23, 2006.
I suggest that the subcommittee meet as soon as possible to decide on a timetable or schedule to work on Bill 103, which again is An Act to establish an Independent Police Review Director and create a new public complaints process by amending the Police Services Act.
Mr. Kormos: Chair, what about the other bills? You're but the Chair. Surely we have to include them in the development of a schedule or timetable.
The Chair: Maybe the subcommittee can discuss that as well.
Mr. Kormos: I just didn't want you to demonstrate any bias towards private members' public business.
The Chair: No, not at all. But those are the ones that are in front of us.
Mr. Kormos: Ms. Van Bommel's bill is particularly interesting.
The Chair: If there is no further business, I'll adjourn the meeting until further notice.
The committee adjourned at 1056.
CONTENTS
Wednesday 6 December 2006
Election of Chair JP-1019
Committee business JP-1020
STANDING COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE POLICY
Chair / Président
Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti (Scarborough Southwest / Scarborough-Sud-Ouest L)
Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente
Mrs. Maria Van Bommel (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex L)
Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough-Rouge River L)
Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti (Scarborough Southwest / Scarborough-Sud-Ouest L)
Mrs. Christine Elliott (Whitby-Ajax PC)
Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges PC)
Mr. Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre / Niagara-Centre ND)
Mr. David Orazietti (Sault Ste. Marie L)
Mr. Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North / Etobicoke-Nord L)
Mrs. Maria Van Bommel (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex L)
Mr. David Zimmer (Willowdale L)
Substitutions / Membres remplaçants
Mrs. Carol Mitchell (Huron-Bruce L)
Clerk / Greffière
Ms. Anne Stokes
Staff / Personnel
Ms. Margaret Drent, research officer
Research and Information Services