Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The committee met at 1000 in committee room 1.

Assignment of ministries

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Good morning, everyone. The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs will now come to order. We’re here this morning because we do have some business that has to be decided by the committee before the House resumes. We’re here this morning to consider a draft report pursuant to standing order 113(b), which everyone should have received at the end of last week and have that in front of them.

Is there any discussion on the report? Just a reminder, standing order 113(b) states that, “At the beginning of each Parliament and, if necessary, during the course of a Parliament, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs shall prescribe the ministries and offices assigned to the standing committees for the purposes of this standing order and for the purpose of consideration of estimates and shall make a report thereon to the House, which report shall be deemed to be adopted. The Office of the Premier and the Cabinet Office shall be assigned to the same standing committee.”

So, as we recall, in June, there was a cabinet shuffle. It created some new ministries and renamed others, and this draft report before us essentially just proposes how we should assign the ministries and offices to the mandates of the policy-field standing committees. We’ll report this to the House with our recommendations if they’re deemed to be adopted. So that is why we’re here. There were some changes—some of them were fairly minor changes, but every ministry needs a home in terms of committee.

Any thoughts or discussions to what is here? I’m looking to Mr. Rae.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I’m good with the report if my colleagues are.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. We had had a subcommittee meeting the other day and I also know that Mr. West, who cannot be here right now, didn’t have any concerns with the draft report.

Okay, in that case, shall the draft report carry? All those in favour? All those opposed? The report is carried.

Shall I present the report to the House? All those in favour? All those opposed? So ordered.

Committee business

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Is there any other business to discuss today? I’m looking to the members of the subcommittee.

Okay, well, I’m going to remember out loud the discussion of subcommittee.

Mr. Robert Bailey: Yes, remember out loud for me.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I will remember out loud.

We had had a brief meeting of the subcommittee, first of all to talk about the need for this meeting, but the other is about scheduling—

Mrs. Robin Martin: Sorry.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): No, you’re not.

One is about scheduling. The conversation in the past has been in hallways and in corners where people lament the Thursday afternoon slot. So a reminder to all members of the committee, we have a Tuesday morning and a longer Thursday session that have been allotted to this committee. We did discuss it formally; we did vote, and it was voted at that time to stay the same, Thursday afternoon, but that was based on House duty schedules and the challenges of moving things around.

Bob?

Mr. Robert Bailey: Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I recall now. Thank you for the good reminder; I was up too early this morning.

There has been a lot of discussion with a lot of members, some here today and others that are not here today, about the Thursday afternoon being perhaps moved to Wednesday afternoon. Because when cabinet meets, lots of times the House doesn’t sit on every Wednesday, so that was an alternative. This committee, as I understand, can meet at the call of the Chair, when we want—other than this Tuesday, which is definitely scheduled.

MPP West and I have talked informally on other occasions, and I think you were part of some of those discussions. We thought we’d like to look at maybe the Wednesday, versus the Thursday, afternoon. I don’t know what the rest of our colleagues here have—Thursday isn’t really that good to anyone outside of Toronto that’s here, that has to travel home that day or that evening.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I will also add that Mr. West, who isn’t here today—which is fine—had said that he now has a conflict with the Thursday afternoons. He has a new role and that just—

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: What’s his new role?

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Deputy whip for our caucus—I think so. Anyway, regardless, he is hoping to continue with this committee and might not be able to if it continues on the Thursdays. However, I don’t know who will be the permanent members of this committee going forward, if there will be changes that come from the government, and if House duty or other committee challenges—so we present that to the committee. You were going to discuss with your own folks if there were.

Anyway, thoughts? Mr. Rae.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I’m fine if we choose to have “the standing meetings”—because I know we can meet more or less whenever you decide, Chair—on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. I still think there will be conflicts but we’re all adults so we can figure that out in our own minds, just based off other committees. But I’m fine with us moving to a permanent meeting time of Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Is there any other discussion with the Wednesday afternoon? I suppose, for any member who may have other committee challenges or whatnot, as you’ve said, we can sort that out. If the committee does decide to make this our regularly scheduled committee program, you can inform your House team and whatever is required.

Is there anyone else who wants to wait? I know Ms. Hogarth had some concerns about her House duty last time. She’s not here, but will we go forward?

Mr. Robert Bailey: Yes, I think she’s on—I forget the day. I did get a schedule too—

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I didn’t mean to pull her into it specifically. The point is, if you wanted to take this away and discuss or if we wanted to make the change today.

Mr. Rae.

Mr. Matthew Rae: I say we make the change today.

Mr. Robert Bailey: I agree.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I’m seeing consensus.

Interjections.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I was going to gavel that.

Interjection.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Well, you gave me a new gavel and I’ve been away from it for so long that it’s a novelty.

In that case then, I’m seeing consensus for the new meeting, as much as we can plan for it, to be on Wednesday afternoons. Do I need anything more formal than that, Mr. Clerk?

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): No.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Is there any other business to discuss today? Mr. Rae.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Question: Right before this meeting, the Clerk sent around a draft report and regulations filed in 2022. Is that for us to read for the next committee meeting? It’s really short notice. I’m just asking for some direction.

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): So that was prepared by research. It is something that the committee will need to discuss, review at some point. It doesn’t necessarily have to be today, but now all members have it so that you can review it, and a future meeting can be scheduled to review it.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Thank you.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. The only other thing that I would say is regarding the people assigned to committees. Is there anything that had to be discussed today or can the issue of what the committee moved over the summer be a separate—

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): I have not received suggestions from either of the recognized parties. As it stands right now, the committee did pass a motion to remove Goldie Ghamari from the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, so unless there are other changes to be made, the report to the House on Monday the 21st will be just that change.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. I anticipate, when we are back and we do receive those lists from the government House team and the opposition House team with the list of recommended folks for committee assignments, that that will be—I mean, that’s our responsibility, to make decisions around placements on committees.

We had also received correspondence from the Chair of justice policy recommending that Mr. Mantha be removed from that committee. When the committee does look at the assignments and chooses who to assign to those committees, perhaps that can be dealt with at that time.

And also, all of the letters received by independent members: Again, when we have that task ahead of us to assign folks to committees, we can revisit that.

So anything else relative to that or anything you would put on a future agenda? Okay. In that case, seeing no further business to discuss today, this meeting is adjourned.

The committee adjourned at 1011.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS

Chair / Présidente

Ms. Jennifer K. French (Oshawa ND)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Matthew Rae (Perth–Wellington PC)

Mr. Robert Bailey (Sarnia–Lambton PC)

Ms. Jennifer K. French (Oshawa ND)

Ms. Christine Hogarth (Etobicoke–Lakeshore PC)

Mr. Ted Hsu (Kingston and the Islands / Kingston et les Îles L)

Mrs. Robin Martin (Eglinton–Lawrence PC)

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff (Niagara West / Niagara-Ouest PC)

Mr. Matthew Rae (Perth–Wellington PC)

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu (Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest PC)

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell PC)

Miss Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain / Hamilton-Mountain ND)

MPP Jamie West (Sudbury ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Andrew Dowie (Windsor–Tecumseh PC)

Ms. Natalie Pierre (Burlington PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Christopher Tyrell

Staff / Personnel

Mr. Nick Ruderman, research officer,
Research Services