Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The committee met at 1306 in committee room 1.

Subcommittee report

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): I call the meeting to order, everybody. I welcome everyone to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly. We’re here today to discuss Bill 27, An Act to require a provincial framework and action plan concerning vector-borne and zoonotic diseases

I understand that University of Western Ontario students are here to see the committee in action. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy the proceedings this afternoon.

The first item on the agenda is the report of the subcommittee on committee business. Ms. Scott.

Ms. Laurie Scott: Thank you. I would like to read the report of the subcommittee from Monday, December 1, 2014.

Your subcommittee on committee business met on Monday, December 1, 2014, to consider a method of proceeding on Bill 27, An Act to require a provincial framework and action plan concerning vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, and recommends the following:

(1) That the following individuals be invited to make a presentation of up to 25 minutes, followed by five minutes of questions from each party, at the committee’s regular scheduled meeting on Wednesday, December 10:

(a) Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health;

(b) The head of Public Health Ontario; and

(c) The head of public health Canada.

(2) That the Chair request of the House leaders a motion authorizing the committee to sit for one day at the call of the Chair during the winter adjournment for the purpose of conducting public meetings.

(3) That the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care be invited to make a presentation of up to 25 minutes, followed by five minutes of questions from each party, at the committee’s regular scheduled meeting on Wednesday, February 18, 2015.

(4) That the Clerk of the Committee, with the authorization of the Chair, post information regarding public hearings on the Ontario parliamentary channel, the Legislative Assembly website, Canada NewsWire, and Turtle Island News.

(5) That interested parties who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation contact the committee Clerk, and that witnesses be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

(6) That the research officer provide background material on Bill 27 by Monday, December 8, 2014.

(7) That the research officer provide an interim summary of the presentations from the first day of public hearings by Friday, February 13, 2015.

(8) That the Clerk of the Committee, in consultation with the Chair, be authorized, prior to the passage of the report of the subcommittee, to commence making any preliminary arrangements necessary to facilitate the committee’s proceedings.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): That’s the report?

Ms. Laurie Scott: That’s it. That’s the report from the subcommittee.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Are there any questions on the report from anyone here? No questions?

Mr. Chris Ballard: Well, any questions, or are we into debate now?

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Yes, questions on the—

Ms. Laurie Scott: Any questions on the report.

Mr. Chris Ballard: Of the report itself?

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): —subcommittee’s report. Yes.

Mr. Chris Ballard: No, no questions on the report.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Any debate on it?

Mr. Chris Ballard: Yes, I’ve got some comments that I pulled together. As I think you know, Bill 27 received unanimous support of the House during second reading, and I can say that we support the bill. The Ministry of Health is already doing many of the things that the bill calls for. Ontario has policies and programs in place for the surveillance, prevention and control of zoonotic and vector-borne disease, including a promotion of public awareness of the diseases and emergency preparedness.

However, we’re not comfortable with proceeding with the proposed schedule in respect to Bill 27. I’ve got a couple of reasons. I think one of the key ones is that we’re giving less than a week’s notice to some very important officials to appear before the committee at a very busy time of year for everyone. We’re asking them to prepare presentations of up to 25 minutes, and I just think it’s an unfair ask at this time of year with that amount of time. These individuals, I think, should continue to focus their fullest attention at this time dealing with deadly diseases, like Ebola—which is top of their mind right now, ensuring that we continue to put measures in place to prevent it from spreading in our province and in our country. Frankly, I think the last thing we need to do in a very busy season, with only one week’s notice, is for them to take time off of that to prepare to appear before this committee. I know it’s a voluntary request, that we can’t force them to be here. We can invite them to appear, but I think they would be hard-pressed to say no. I just don’t think it’s fair at this time for us to put that on it.

With that said, I think there are going to be a number of opportunities to consider this bill and other bills in the spring. We have MPP Potts’s Bill 12, Protecting Employees’ Tips Act. That’s before this committee. I think that that’s another bill that we can deal with at that time. At this time, I would move that we postpone consideration of the matter.

Interjection.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Go ahead.

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Trevor Day): What Mr. Ballard has moved is considered a dilatory motion. It’s a motion that can be moved when there’s another motion on the floor. There are no conditions to it, so, with this pure postponed consideration, it means that we would vote on whether we’re going to postpone this and move to the next item on our agenda. At this point there is nothing else on our agenda, but it would stop us from dealing with this particular item at this time.

It’s a vote without debate on whether or not we’re going to postpone. Depending on the outcome of that vote, we’re either back to this or we have nothing else on our agenda.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Just a clarification: There’s no debate on this right now?

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Trevor Day): There’s no debate on this. It’s a dilatory motion. It can be moved while there’s another motion on the floor, the first motion being the subcommittee report and the second motion being that we defer consideration of this. It’s going to be a straight vote on whether or not to continue or to move on.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay, then. Is everybody clear on that?

Ms. Laurie Scott: I’ll do a recorded vote, then.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Recorded vote. I’m going to call the vote now. All those in favour of the amendment by Mr. Ballard—

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Trevor Day): The motion to defer.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Yes, the motion to defer by Mr. Ballard.

Ayes

Anderson, Ballard, Lalonde, McGarry, McMahon.

Nays

Barrett, Scott, Singh.

The Vice-Chair (Mr. Garfield Dunlop): Okay, then. I declare that Mr. Ballard’s deferment motion is carried, which postpones everything else right now.

There’s nothing else on the agenda. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much.

The committee adjourned at 1313.

CONTENTS

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Subcommittee report M-11

STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Chair / Président

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand–Norfolk PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

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

Mr. Granville Anderson (Durham L)

Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough–Rouge River L)

Mr. Chris Ballard (Newmarket–Aurora L)

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand–Norfolk PC)

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

Ms. Eleanor McMahon (Burlington L)

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock PC)

Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Bramalea–Gore–Malton ND)

Ms. Soo Wong (Scarborough–Agincourt L)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde (Ottawa–Orléans L)

Mrs. Kathryn McGarry (Cambridge L)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Trevor Day

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Heather Webb, research officer,
Research Services