STANDING COMMITTEE ON
SOCIAL POLICY
COMITÉ PERMANENT DE
LA POLITIQUE SOCIALE
Tuesday 4 November 2008 Mardi 4 novembre 2008
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The committee met at 1625 in committee room 1.
INCREASING ACCESS TO QUALIFIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS FOR ONTARIANS ACT, 2008
LOI DE 2008 VISANT Ã ACCROÃTRE L'ACCÃS DES ONTARIENNES ET DES ONTARIENS AUX PROFESSIONNELS DE LA SANTÉ QUALIFIÉS
Consideration of Bill 97, An Act to increase access to qualified health professionals for all Ontarians by amending the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 / Projet de loi 97, Loi visant à accroître l'accès des Ontariennes et des Ontariens aux professionnels de la santé qualifiés en modifiant la Loi de 1991 sur les professions de la santé réglementées.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): Colleagues, I welcome you to consideration of clause-by-clause for Bill 97, An Act to increase access to qualified health professionals for all Ontarians by amending the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.
Are there any general comments or concerns the committee would like to have voiced before we begin clause-by-clause consideration? Seeing none, I'll now proceed and invite the PC caucus to present motion 1.
Ms. Laurie Scott: I move that section 2.1 of schedule 2 to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, as set out in section 1 of the bill, be struck out and the following substituted:
"Adequate number of professionals
"2.1 It is an object of the college to work in consultation with the minister towards ensuring, as a matter of public interest, that the people of Ontario have access to adequate numbers of qualified, skilled and competent regulated health professionals."
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): Thank you, Ms. Scott. Would you like to make any comments?
Ms. Laurie Scott: This was certainly brought forward by the College of Physicians and Surgeons in respect to what they feel are their obligations to make sure that their professionals have adequate qualifications. It's really up to the ministry, which has the purse strings, to dictate the number of doctors and the funding that goes with that and the spaces for medical school. So it was brought forward for those reasons.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): Any further comments or questions?
Ms. Laurel C. Broten: I'm pleased to speak on behalf of the government with respect to the motion. The government does not support the motion. We believe that working with the minister to ensure an adequate supply of health human resources in the province should be a duty of the colleges and not one object among others. We think the critical component of Bill 97 is the implementation of a new duty of colleges and that is for the first time for them to work in consultation and in partnership with the ministry in elevating the importance of human health resources to the level of a duty.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): Any further questions or comments? Seeing none, we'll proceed to the vote. Those in favour of PC motion 1? Those opposed? I declare PC motion 1 to have been defeated.
I invite presentation now of PC motion 2.
Ms. Laurie Scott: I move that section 1 of the bill be struck out–
Mr. Dave Levac: Point of order: My experience on committees just wants me to speak to this as a question of clarification. Is this in order if the section is not open to the bill?
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): Not being a clairvoyant, Mr. Levac, I would need to actually hear the motion before I can rule whether it's in order or not.
Mr. Dave Levac: So it's officially got to be put on the record before we can make a decision.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): Please proceed, Ms. Scott.
Mr. Dave Levac: I see. So that means that all those years of committee work have not paid off because I should have known better.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): I know you're new here, but we'll let Ms. Scott proceed.
Mr. Dave Levac: Just thought I'd ask.
Ms. Laurie Scott: I move that section 1 of the bill be struck out and the following substituted:
"1. Subsection 3(1) of schedule 2 to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 is amended by adding the following paragraph:
"'12. To work in consultation with the minister towards ensuring, as a matter of public interest, that the people of Ontario have access to adequate numbers of qualified, skilled and competent regulated health professionals.'"
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): At this moment, I will have to intervene, rule out debate and also rule this particular PC motion out of order, specifically citing the rule on admissibility of this amendment that proposes to amend a section of the schedule of a parent act that is not before the committee. Of course, a deeper explanation, if needed, is available from our colleagues here.
Mr. Dave Levac: I knew that.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): With that, I would declare that motion out of order.
Are there any further motions to be presented before this committee? Are there any further questions or comments with regard to today's proceedings from the committee? We'll proceed to the vote.
Shall section 1 carry? Carried.
Is there any discussion on sections 2 and/or 3? Seeing none, shall sections 2 and 3 carry? Carried.
Shall the title of the bill carry? Carried.
Shall Bill 97 carry? Carried.
Shall I report the bill to the House? Carried.
Are there any further questions or comments for today's proceedings?
Mr. Dave Levac: I offer my birthday greetings to my colleague Helena Jaczek, MPP, for tomorrow. Happy birthday.
The Chair (Mr. Shafiq Qaadri): I assume she wishes that to be public information, but having said that, I wish her a happy birthday as well.
This committee is adjourned.
The committee adjourned at 1630.
CONTENTS
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Increasing Access to Qualified Health Professionals for Ontarians Act, 2008,
Bill 97, Mr. Caplan / Loi de 2008 visant à accoà®tre l'accès des Ontariennes
et des Ontariens aux professionnels de la santé qualifiés,
projet de loi 97, M. Caplan SP-405
STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL POLICY
Chair / Président
Mr. Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North / Etobicoke-Nord L)
Vice-Chair / Vice-Président
Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest L)
Ms. Laurel C. Broten (Etobicoke—Lakeshore L)
Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest L)
Ms. Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale—High Park ND)
Ms. Helena Jaczek (Oak Ridges—Markham L)
Mr. Dave Levac (Brant L)
Mr. Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North / Etobicoke-Nord L)
Mr. Khalil Ramal (London—Fanshawe L)
Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock PC)
Mr. Peter Shurman (Thornhill PC)
Substitutions / Membres remplaçants
Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough—Rouge River L)
Mme France Gélinas (Nickel Belt ND)
Clerk / Greffier
Mr. Katch Koch
Staff / Personnel
Ms. Elaine Campbell, research officer,
Research and Information Services
Mr. Ralph Armstrong, legislative counsel