Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The committee met at 1308 in committee room 1.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay. We’re calling the meeting to order. The purpose of the meeting today was to have a vote on the motion that was actually put forward before. We explained it a little earlier. Do you want to hear that motion again?

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Trevor Day): The motion was to hold public hearings on Bill 14 on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: Can we take it in two parts?

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Trevor Day): That’s what we’re voting on right now, Mr. Balkissoon’s motion to hold public hearings on Bill 14 on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): So you’ve all heard the motion beforehand here today?

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: It’s kind of redundant now—

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): It is redundant.

Those in favour? And those opposed? That is carried.

We can have motions now. Where do we go from here?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Chair, if I may?

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay. Ms. MacLeod.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Perhaps we could now take another vote because we are meeting on June 5, and we haven’t given public notice. I think there is a desire obviously to see this bill come before committee, as there is a desire to have the wage freeze bill, as well as Mr. Clark’s bill on—

Mr. Steve Clark: Treating spouses.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: —treating spouses. I think there is one other bill that we’d like to address in the assembly. We actually should set a calendar for bringing these meetings forward, these bills forward, this summer. I would, therefore, like to submit that we write to the three House leaders requesting time to meet this August for public hearings. I’m moving that.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): You’re moving that, Ms. MacLeod?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I am.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I’d amend it to say it’s at the call of the Chair. I don’t want to be specific.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Okay. We can—

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I think every other committee has made a request.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I’m fine for that as well.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: Mr. Chair, I have a motion to move.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): This one’s first, though. Okay.

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Trevor Day): So a request to the House leaders—

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: —the House leaders that we meet at the call of the Chair over the summer.

Garfield has already told me he wants to meet the entire month of August.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay. You all heard that motion.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Yeah, right.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: So what I said was I was just—

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): I haven’t slept there in 12 years.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: That was a moment of levity actually. The motion stands as at the call of the Chair.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Those in favour of that motion? That’s carried.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): That’s great. Unanimous? You’ve got to be kidding.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: First time in two years.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): In two years?

Okay. Mr. Balkissoon has a motion.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I move that the Clerk, in consultation with the Chair, be authorized to arrange the following with regard to Bill 14, Non-Profit Housing Co-operatives Statute Law Amendment Act, 2013:

(1) One day of public hearings when the committee next meets;

(2) Advertisement on the Ontario parliamentary channel, the committee’s website and the Canadian NewsWire;

(3) Witnesses are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis;

(4) Each witness will receive up to five minutes for their presentation, followed by nine minutes for questions from committee members;

(5) The deadline for written submissions is 3 p.m. on the day of public hearings;

(6) That the research officer provide a summary of the presentations by Monday morning of the following week.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Everybody has seen that motion. Questions?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: If I may put a friendly amendment forward that we also include Bill 70, the treating spouses act, for one day of public hearings, advertisements on the Ontario parliamentary channel, the committee website and the Canadian NewsWire.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: Mr. Chair, that could be a separate motion. I don’t think it’s relevant to this one.

Interjection.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Yes, it’s before the committee right now.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I’m happy to deal with that after.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): So you’ve all heard the motion. Those in favour of Mr. Balkissoon’s—

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Pardon me?

Mr. Steve Clark: I would like to ask for a 20-minute recess.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Are the members ready to vote?

Interjections.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay. Mr. Clark, you’ve asked for a 20-minute recess. Granted; we’ll recess for 20 minutes. When we come back, we’ll vote.

The committee recessed from 1312 to 1332.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay, guys, the 20-minute recess is up. To members of the committee, we have a motion in front of us moved by Mr. Balkissoon. We’ve had a chance to look at that. I’m going to ask for the vote.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Pardon me?

M. Gilles Bisson: Comment ça va aujourd’hui? It’s okay.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I caught it.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: He caught on.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I caught on quick.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): I caught on, too.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I want to tell you that I’m very offended.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay. All those in favour of Mr. Balkissoon’s motion? Those opposed? That motion is carried.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Just for the record, I want to acknowledge that the Tories and Liberals are now in a coalition and working together in concert. It’s just interesting to see that they do these kinds of things together.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Thank you for that comment. Mr. Clark?

Mr. Steve Clark: I was just surprised by that comment because I thought, from reading the minutes of the last meeting, that there was consensus to move forward with this bill. I’m just a little surprised by his comments that really don’t make any sense.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Just for the record?

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Mr. Bisson.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: To Mr. Clark, the deputy House leader or deputy whip, whatever you might be, you would know that there are discussions ongoing with House leaders, and this is not helpful to that process. You’ll remember this moment.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay. Any other comments? Mr. Clark, you had a motion?

Mr. Steve Clark: No, I just would like a little bit of a break just to refine the motion, if that’s acceptable to the committee.

M. Gilles Bisson: Excusez-moi, monsieur le Président. À ce point-ci je pense qu’on a besoin de discuter de cette matière-là en français.

Mr. Steve Clark: Can we take a break?

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: He asked for a 20-minute break.

Mr. Steve Clark: There are no motions on the floor; I just want a bit of a break. I’m working on a motion.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Mr. Clark was asking for—I was under the understanding you had a motion coming forward.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): You don’t?

Interjections.

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Mr. Bisson?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I move adjournment of the committee.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: If I may—look, I think we have got business before us. We have bills piling up—

The Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Ms. MacLeod, his motion takes precedence right now.

Mr. Bisson has moved adjournment of the committee. All those in favour? All those opposed? The committee is adjourned.

The committee adjourned at 1334.

CONTENTS

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Committee business M-35

STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Chair / Président

Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North / Simcoe-Nord PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

Ms. Lisa MacLeod (Nepean–Carleton PC)

Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough–Rouge River L)

Mr. Gilles Bisson (Timmins–James Bay / Timmins–Baie James ND)

Mr. Steve Clark (Leeds–Grenville PC)

Mr. Mike Colle (Eglinton–Lawrence L)

Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North / Simcoe-Nord PC)

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn (Oakville L)

Ms. Cindy Forster (Welland ND)

Ms. Lisa MacLeod (Nepean–Carleton PC)

Mr. Bill Mauro (Thunder Bay–Atikokan L)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Trevor Day

Staff / Personnel

Mr. Jon Bricker, research officer,
Research Services