STANDING COMMITTEE
ON
JUSTICE POLICY
COMITÉ
PERMANENT
DE LA JUSTICE
Wednesday 29 March 2006 Mercredi 29 mars 2006
The committee met at 1005 in committee room 1.
ELECTION OF CHAIR
The Clerk of the Committee (Ms. Anne Stokes): Good morning, everyone. I'd like to welcome you to the justice policy committee. 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 move that Vic Dhillon be appointed Chair.
The Clerk of the Committee: Thank you. Are there any further nominations?
Mr. Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): I move that Maria Van Bommel be Chair of this committee. She has skills and talents that would make her an outstanding Chair of this committee, and I want there to be a true contest in this democratic process wherein we purport to elect a Chair of a committee. I don't want it to be suggested that somehow this is a done deal, that the fix is in, that the Premier's office, or the whip or the government House leader's office has somehow told his people who's going to be the next Chair. If we're going to elect a Chair, let's elect a Chair.
The Clerk of the Committee: Thank you. Are there any further nominations?
Mr. Ted McMeekin (Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot): I apologize. I was going to nominate Peter Kormos, with all his skills and talents, but I'd better not do that because people might think that the fix was in and that I was in cahoots, so I won't do that.
The Clerk of the Committee: Are there any further nominations?
Mr. Kormos: I want to nominate Lorenzo Berardinetti, the passionate advocate for equality and justice, the civil rights leader of the Liberal caucus.
Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti (Scarborough Southwest): Thank you. That's the nicest thing you've said about me.
The Clerk of the Committee: Thank you, Mr. Kormos. Are there any further nominations?
Mr. Kormos: I want to nominate Bas Balkissoon, newly elected, who I'm sure was promised a position in cabinet during the course of being wooed by the Liberals for the by-election and who so far has been frustrated, waiting eagerly for Gerard Kennedy to resign as Minister of Education, to create yet one more vacancy. I can't think of a more fitting position for him, plus another 12 grand or 13 grand a year in salary, than to be Chair of this committee.
The Clerk of the Committee: Thank you. Are there any further nominations?
Mr. McMeekin: I think maybe we should have four Chairpeople, since Peter thinks so many of us on this side of the House are so qualified.
The Clerk of the Committee: Mr. Kormos?
Mr. Kormos: I want to nominate Ted McMeekin. Once again, Ted McMeekin is neither shy nor withdrawn. He's a gregarious type, he has good people skills, he can BS with the best of them. It's a compliment, sir. What better set of skills, what better skill set than that of Mr. McMeekin? He also has seniority. In view of the tight relationship between the Liberal Party and Bob Rae and Buzz Hargrove, I think seniority is something that should be given greater effect to in the course of making these selections.
The Clerk of the Committee: Are there any further nominations? There being no further nominations, the practice of the assembly in the election of a Chair, when there is more than one nomination, is that a vote is first put on the first nomination. The first nomination was for Mr. Dhillon.
I will put the question. All those in favour? All those opposed? Mr. Dhillon has been duly elected Chair of the committee.
Would you come forward, please? Thank you.
1010
ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIR
The Chair (Mr. Vic Dhillon): Good morning, everybody. Members, it is my duty now to call upon you to elect the Vice-Chair. Are there any nominations?
Mr. Balkissoon: Since my colleague on the other side has so much confidence in Maria Van Bommel, I would like to move that Maria Van Bommel be elected as the Vice-Chair.
Mr. McMeekin: You convinced me, Peter.
Mr. Kormos: I want to nominate Lorenzo Berardinetti. I find it disturbing that a woman is relegated to Vice-Chair when in fact, if we were concerned and interested in ensuring that women had the same access to stature, status and power as men, she'd have been nominated and supported by her colleagues as Chair. I'd invite you, Chair, to withdraw, to resign, to surrender your position so that a woman could take this position.
Mr. McMeekin: I just want to quickly comment that Maria Van Bommel is certainly recognized by her colleagues for her outstanding leadership. That's why, notwithstanding the numerous male candidates to chair the rural caucus, Maria was not only nominated but elected overwhelmingly by her colleagues.
The Chair: Are there any other nominations? Fine. If there are no further nominations, I'm going to put the question for the election of the Vice-Chair.
Mr. Kormos: On a point of order, Mr. Chair: If there are no further nominations, it's an acclamation.
Interjection.
Mr. Kormos: Lorenzo shook his head. He said no way could he assume that responsibility.
The Chair: Since there is only one nomination --
Mr. Berardinetti: On a point of order, Mr. Chair: That was a sore neck. It was more to do with my sore neck than --
Mr. Kormos: From what?
Mr. Berardinetti: That's between my wife and me.
Mr. Kormos: We'll send that transcript to Mrs. Berardinetti.
Mr. Berardinetti: She's watching.
The Chair: Could we have order, please? Since there are no other nominations, Mrs. Van Bommel is the Vice-Chair for this committee.
Mrs. Maria Van Bommel (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex): Thank you.
SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
The Chair: The next order of business --
Interjection.
The Chair: Can I have your attention, please. The next order of business is to nominate a member for the subcommittee. Do I have any nominations?
Mr. Balkissoon: I move that the membership of the subcommittee on committee business be revised as follows: that Mr. Berardinetti be appointed in the place of Mr. Flynn.
The Chair: Any comments? All those in favour? All those opposed? Mr. Berardinetti is appointed to the subcommittee.
Is there any other business that you guys would like to discuss? Seeing that there is no further business, I declare this meeting adjourned.
The committee adjourned at 1015.
CONTENTS
Wednesday 29 March 2006
Election of Chair JP-185
Election of Vice-Chair JP-185
Subcommittee membership JP-186
STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
Chair / Président
Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West-Mississauga / Brampton-Ouest-Mississauga 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)
Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West-Mississauga / Brampton-Ouest-Mississauga L)
Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges PC)
Mr. Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre / Niagara-Centre ND)
Mr. Ted McMeekin (Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot L)
Mr. David Orazietti (Sault Ste. Marie L)
Mrs. Maria Van Bommel (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex L)
Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer (Kitchener-Waterloo PC)
Substitutions / Membres remplaçants
Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka PC)
Clerk / Greffière
Ms. Anne Stokes
Staff / Personnel
Mr. Avrum Fenson, research
officer
Research and Information Services