Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The committee met at 0900 in committee room 2.

Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 Loi de 2023 sur l’amélioration des écoles et du rendement des élèves

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 98, An Act to amend various Acts relating to education and child care / Projet de loi 98, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’éducation et la garde d’enfants.

The Chair (Mr. Brian Riddell): Good morning, everyone. The Standing Committee on Social Policy will now come to order. We are joined today by staff from Hansard and by Catherine Oh from the Office of Legislative Counsel.

We’re meeting to consider Bill 98, An Act to amend various Acts relating to education and child care, and the preamble to the bill in order to complete clause-by-clause consideration. After considering the preamble, I will put the question on the bill as a whole. After that, I will put the question on reporting the bill back to the House.

We will now consider the preamble to Bill 98. Is there any debate? I recognize MPP Gélinas.

M^me France Gélinas: Thank you, Chair. You have seen by the dozens and dozens of amendments that we have put to Bill 98 that there are some concerns. There continue to be some serious concerns from the francophone community about this bill. I was pleased to hear some of the MPPs state clearly what they intend to do; the writing in the bill would allow them to do what they intend to do but would allow them to do a whole lot of other things that would be very detrimental to the teaching of francophone communities.

There were other areas of the bill that were also of concern to us. For those reasons, we won’t be able to support the preamble to the bill.

The Chair (Mr. Brian Riddell): Further debate? Ready to vote? Shall the preamble to the bill carry?

M^me France Gélinas: Recorded vote.

Ayes

Barnes, Gallagher Murphy, Jordan, Martin, Pierre, Quinn, Wai.

Nays

Gates, Gélinas.

The Chair (Mr. Brian Riddell): The motion is carried.

We are now considering Bill 98, as amended. Are members ready to vote? Shall Bill 98, as amended, carry?

M^me France Gélinas: Recorded vote.

Ayes

Barnes, Gallagher Murphy, Jordan, Martin, Pierre, Quinn, Wai.

Nays

Gates, Gélinas.

The Chair (Mr. Brian Riddell): The bill is carried.

Shall I report the bill, as amended, to the House? Are members ready to vote? All those in favour?

Mr. Wayne Gates: Recorded.

Ayes

Barnes, Gallagher Murphy, Jordan, Martin, Pierre, Quinn, Wai.

Nays

Gates, Gélinas.

The Chair (Mr. Brian Riddell): Carried.

Thank you, everyone. That concludes clause-by-clause consideration of Bill 98 and our business for today.

The committee is now adjourned until 9 a.m. on Monday, June 5, 2023, for consideration of estimates.

The committee adjourned at 0904.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL POLICY

Chair / Président

Mr. Brian Riddell (Cambridge PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

M^me France Gélinas (Nickel Belt ND)

Ms. Patrice Barnes (Ajax PC)

Mr. Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls ND)

M^me France Gélinas (Nickel Belt ND)

Mrs. Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West / Windsor-Ouest ND)

Mr. John Jordan (Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston PC)

Mrs. Robin Martin (Eglinton–Lawrence PC)

Ms. Natalie Pierre (Burlington PC)

Mr. Nolan Quinn (Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry PC)

Mr. Matthew Rae (Perth–Wellington PC)

Mr. Brian Riddell (Cambridge PC)

Mr. Adil Shamji (Don Valley East / Don Valley-Est L)

Mrs. Daisy Wai (Richmond Hill PC)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

M^me Dawn Gallagher Murphy (Newmarket–Aurora PC)

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Lesley Flores

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Catherine Oh, legislative counsel